With Christmas upon us, this is a reminder of the rules now in place in Wales to try and stop the rapidly increasing spread of coronavirus.
On Saturday, the First Minister announced Wales would move into the highest level of coronavirus restrictions earlier than originally planned. The move into Level 4 restrictions in Wales was matched elsewhere in the UK as the relaxation of coronavirus rules over the festive season was heavily curtailed across Scotland, Northern Ireland and England.
UK leaders initially agreed that groups of up to three households could meet at home, outdoors or in a place of worship for a five-day window over Christmas.
However, following the emergence of a new strain of the virus which is having a particular impact on Wales and the south-east of England, the rules over Christmas were swiftly and dramatically changed.
On the weekend, Wales adjusted the rules, with the changes coming into effect almost immediately at midnight on Saturday night.
It means the five-day Christmas bubble period has been reduced to just Christmas Day in Wales (as well as in England and Scotland).
Meanwhile, large parts of the south-east of England were put under new Tier 4 rules meaning people should not meet anyone not from within their household at all, even on Christmas Day.
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What can people in Wales do over the Christmas period?
Alert Level 4 in Wales means that:
- people must stay at home, except for very limited purposes
- people must not visit other households, or meet other people they do not live with
- many types of businesses are required to close
What are the rules for Christmas Day?
There is special guidance which only applies on Christmas Day, December 25.
The Welsh Government has changed the relaxation to the rules, which had previously allowed two households to come together to form a Christmas bubble over a five-day period, so that it applies on Christmas Day only .
For December 25 only:
- 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 for Christmas Day allow that the Christmas bubble can be joined by a single person, a single parent household or a household with a single responsible adult.
- 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 not 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.
Single adult households and adults with caring responsibilities
To recognise the risks of loneliness and isolation, a third household can join the Christmas bubble, if it meets one of the following criteria:
- households where one adult lives alone
- households where one adult lives with any number of children under 18, or
- households where more than one adult lives, but one adult has caring responsibilities for all of the other adults in the home
Separated parents of children under 18
Children (aged under 18) whose parents do not live together may be part of both parents’ Christmas bubbles, if their parents choose to form separate bubbles. Nobody else should be in two bubbles.
Forming a different Christmas bubble to the people you live with normally
You are allowed to form a different Christmas bubble from the people you live with normally.
The Welsh Government says: "For example, Kevin lives with two friends in a house share. All three members of the household would like to see their own families on Christmas Day. Kevin is able to form a Christmas bubble with his parents while the other members of the household form their own, separate Christmas bubbles. Kevin should avoid his fellow housemates as much as possible for 2 weeks after he sees his parents."
If you’re a student who’s moved home from university
If you are a student who has moved home from university, you are considered to be part of the household to which you have returned. You are not treated as part of your term-time household for this period.
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 the law.
Everyone is allowed to form a Christmas bubble. 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 Christmas 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.
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.
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.
When can I leave home during Alert Level 4?
You should only be outside of your home for very limited reasons, which include:
- to buy food, medicine, and things for essential household maintenance
- to exercise, alone or with members of your household or support bubble. The Welsh Government "encourages" this to be done locally
- to access childcare and education, medical services or public services
- to deposit and withdraw money from a bank
- to provide care for or to help a vulnerable person
- to help the NHS by donating blood
- for work purposes, or voluntary or charitable purposes, but only where it is not reasonably practicable to do this from home
- to visit a cemetery, burial ground or garden of remembrance to pay your respects
- to attend a place of worship
- to attend a wedding, civil partnership or funeral if you are invited
- to attend court or meet other legal obligations, or to vote
- to escape a risk of illness or injury, such as for victims or people at risk of domestic abuse
- to access services provided to victims of crime or domestic abuse or those at imminent risk of becoming victims
Whenever you leave home, you should try to minimise time spent outside of the home, and ensure you stay at least 2 metres away from anyone you don’t live with or are in a permitted support bubble with.
