In November, Boris Johnson confirmed that, after a four-nation agreement, families would be granted five days of looser Covid-19 restrictions to enjoy Christmas with no more than two other households.
The exemptions would last from 23 December to 27 December, with travel restrictions also being relaxed on these dates within the UK to allow families, or groups of friends, the freedom to meet up.
But following the news that large swathes of England would be moving up to tier 3 in the review on 17 December, including London, Essex, Peterborough, Berkshire and Surrey, questions have been raised about whether relaxing measures is appropriate.
Both Sadiq Khan and Kier Starmer were among the voices who called for a reassessment of the plans - a rare joint intervention from the BMJ and Health Service Journal also called for a halt to household mixing. But Mr Johnson has remained steadfast in his commitment to Christmas, advising people to take personal responsibility for their safety.
But can you take full advantage of the rules if you live in a Tier 3 area? Here’s everything we know.
How will restrictions change over Christmas?
For tier 3 households throughout most of December you are allowed to travel within your area for reasons such as for work, education, charity work, caring, moving home, visiting your support bubble or going to open venues, like shops.
The government says you should “avoid travelling outside your area and reduce the number of journeys you make wherever possible.”
But between 23 and 27 December, families, or groups of friends, will be granted looser Covid-19 restrictions to enjoy Christmas with two other households in England.
Regardless of your tier you are able to take part in the scheme and travel between tiers, but the government has advised that people should spend the day as locally as possible. In Wales, only two households are now allowed to mix.
The government says: “If necessary, you can travel between tiers and UK nations for the purposes of meeting your Christmas bubble".
Will I be able to spend Christmas with my family?
A maximum of three families can meet in one house — meaning if you are a parent with three children who all live in separate households, you cannot all meet to celebrate Christmas.
Families, or groups, will have to nominate the two other households with which they plan to “bubble” with; they will be prevented from changing that decision to block any attempts to meet with other relatives over the five-day period.
Children of divorced parents will be able to move between Christmas “bubbles” so they can see both parents, as support bubbles count as a single household for the period.
Over-65s in care homes will not be allowed to join any mixed-household situation, with all four governments deeming the risk too great for the at-risk age group.
All four leaders are urging people to consider how they spend their Christmas, with Scotland’s first minister Nicola Sturgeon going as far as warning people that just because you can see family members from outside your household, it “doesn’t mean you have to”.
“We will remind families that just because you might be able to mix a bit ... that doesn't mean you have to do that if you don't think it is necessary,” she said.
Many public health experts have warned that relaxing the rules, even temporarily, will give Covid-19 another opportunity to spread.
Professor Calum Semple, who sits on the government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE), told Sky News that while it would be beneficial for people’s wellbeing to relax some regulations over Christmas, “there will be a price to pay”.
“It's just going to prolong restrictions and higher-level restrictions for some areas and perhaps all areas as a whole,” he said.
