THE NEW LEVEL FOUR RULES IN WALES...
What can people in Wales do over the Christmas period?
Alert Level 4 in Wales means that...
■ You must stay at home, except for very limited purposes;
■ You must not visit other households, or meet other people they do not live with;
■ Many types of businesses are required to close, including non-essential retail, gyms, leisure centres and hospitality.
Will the rules still apply for Christmas Day?
There is special guidance which only applies solely for December 25.
■ You can form an exclusive ‘Christmas bubble’ composed of no more than two households (your household and one other household);
■ You can only be in one Christmas bubble;
■ You cannot change your Christmas bubble;
■ You can travel anywhere within the UK for the purposes of meeting your Christmas bubble (subject to the rules where you are travelling to);
■ If you are living on your own, the special rules allow that the Christmas bubble can be joined by a single person, a singleparent household or a household with a single responsible adult;
■ If you were planning to spend Christmas elsewhere in the UK, different UK nations have different rules and you will need to check before you travel;
■ If you are travelling away from home, you should travel to meet your Christmas bubble and return home in the course of December 25;
■ You can no longer stay overnight with other members of your Christmas bubble on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, unless they are also part of your pre-existing support bubble;
■ Holiday accommodation will no longer be allowed to open, even for Christmas.
Who should be in your Christmas bubble?
Christmas bubbles are different to normal extended households and have their own specific rules. The rules on forming and using a Christmas bubble will be law. There are three main rules:
■ You can only be in one Christmas bubble;
■ You cannot change your Christmas bubble;
■ Your Christmas bubble should not include people from more than two households;
■ It is recommended that you keep your Christmas bubble as small as possible – you do not have to form a bubble;
■ You must not form a Christmas bubble if you or someone in your own household or extended household is self-isolating.
What can you do over Christmas?
■ A Christmas bubble can only meet in a private home, a place of worship or public outdoor spaces;
■ You can spend time with any number of members of your Christmas bubble on Christmas Day in your garden or in any outdoor public place;
■ Children under 18 whose parents do not live together may be part of both parents’ Christmas bubbles, if their parents choose to form separate bubbles;
■ Students are considered to be part of the household to which they have returned for Christmas and are not treated as part of their term-time household for this period;
■ Existing support bubbles count as one household towards any household limit. This means that if you are in a support bubble, you can collectively form a Christmas bubble with one other household in Wales;
■ If you have chosen to form a different Christmas bubble from other people in your household – the people you live with normally – you should take additional steps to prevent the opportunity for the virus to spread within your household, and between bubbles. This might include: Choosing to meet the other member(s) of your bubble in their home rather than yours where possible.
Travelling to areas outside of Wales
Travel restrictions across Wales, England and Northern Ireland will be lifted on Christmas Day, allowing people to travel across the nations or between local tiers in order to meet with those within their bubble – apart from people in England’s Tier 4 areas. This means that you may travel to other parts of the UK as long as:
■ Meeting with people travelling from Wales is also allowed in the place you are travelling to, and you are able to return home by the end of December 25;
■ There is a “strict” travel ban between Scotland and the rest of the UK;
■ Anyone travelling to or from Northern Ireland may travel on December 22-28, but should only meet with their Christmas bubble between December 23-27;
■ Except for those in England’s Tier 4, people can continue to meet others who are not in their Christmas bubble outside their home, but they must adhere to the rules in the tier they are staying in.
What about the rest of the UK?
■ In England and Scotland, apart from areas in England’s Tier 4, a Christmas bubble of up to three households will be allowed to meet on Christmas Day – not from December 23-27 as previously announced;
■ For Scotland, a maximum of eight people from three households can meet on Christmas Day. However, advice is to minimise the numbers and keep things outdoors if possible;
■ In Northern Ireland, three households can form a bubble from December 23-27. However, from Boxing Day people are being urged to only leave home for essential reasons for six weeks;
■ Except for those in England’s Tier 4, people can continue to meet others who are not in their Christmas bubble outside their home, but they must adhere to the rules in the tier they are staying in.