After a month-long second lockdown, the government’s three-tier system will come into effect on December 2. This means areas across England will be placed into one of the three tiers based on the number of cases, infection rate and strain on the NHS.
The strictest of these tiers is Tier 3, which 23.3 million people in England, or 41.5 percent of the population, will be in from December 2.
Tier 3 rules will be in force in 119 local authority areas, including those in Newcastle, Manchester and Birmingham.
You can check the full list of which areas are in which tier in Express.co.uk’s guide here.
Rules have been toughened across all three tiers, as before the second lockdown the existing tier system had not been enough to bring the R-rate below one.
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In terms of meeting anyone, the rules state anyone in a Tier 3 area must not meet socially indoors or in most outdoor places with anybody you do not live with or who is not in your support bubble.
This includes in any private garden or at most outdoor venues.
Elsewhere, you must not socialise in a group of more than six.
This includes outdoor public spaces, such as parks, beaches, countryside accessible to the public, a public garden, grounds of a heritage site or castle, or a sports facility.
Those in Tier 3 areas can travel to venues or amenities which are open, but should aim to reduce the number of journeys you make where possible.
Tier 3 residents should avoid travelling to other parts of the UK, including for overnight stays other than where necessary.
Necessary reasons include for work, education, youth services, to receive medical treatment, or because of caring responsibilities.
This will change come Christmas, with a five-day reprieve in the rules to allow families to see one another.
From December 23 to December 27, up to three households can form a Christmas bubble.
The Government guidelines state between December 23 to December 27:
- you can form an exclusive ‘Christmas bubble’ composed of people from no more than three households
- you can only be in one Christmas bubble
- you cannot change your Christmas bubble
- you can travel between tiers and UK nations for the purposes of meeting your Christmas bubble
- you can only meet your Christmas bubble in private homes or in your garden, places of worship, or public outdoor spaces
- you can continue to meet people who are not in your Christmas bubble outside your home according to the rules in the tier where you are staying
- you cannot meet someone in a private dwelling who is not part of your household or Christmas bubble
