Good Morning Britain star Dr Rachel Clarke, explained to hosts Adil Ray and Charlotte Hawkins whether people are allowed to visit their loved ones in care homes over Christmas.
She said anyone in any Tier is able to do so, though it may be restricted to a window visit or separated by a screen, depending on what the care home can offer.
"This is a really important question, and two things are relevant here," said Dr Rachel, a palliative care doctor and author.
"The first one is what the rules allow, the rules for different Tiers, and secondly, what the particular care home is able to faciliate.
"So the good news is, whatever Tier you are in, 1-4, it is possible to make some kind of visit to a care home.
"For Tiers 1-3, that can be a so-called close contact visit, so you are allowed in principle to go into the care home and be close to your relative face to face.
"If you live in Tier 4, that unfortunately isn't possible and you need a socially distanced visit, so it will involve screens or pods or windows, and that is desperately sad, but necessary to protect vulnerable older adults.
"The key thing for every family is to talk to the care home and find out exactly what they are able to facilitate.
"I know care homes up and down the country are doing everything in their power to enable people to be as close as they can to their loved ones in care homes as safely as possible.
"So this will involve putting on PPE, gloves and masks, and apron, and all of that is designed to protect the vulnerable population."
* Good Morning Britain airs weekdays on ITV at 6am
