The Government’s announcement that huge swathes of the country will be under tough coronavirus restrictions when the national lockdown ends left many people shocked and disappointed.
But in the case of one northern village - it left it split right down the middle.
Gilsland straddles the border between Northumberland and Cumbria, meaning that as of December 2, neighbours just a few feet apart will be living under different sets of rules.
With Cumbria in Tier 2 and Northumberland in the tougher Tier 3, a resident living in Cumbria could drive 20 miles to Carlisle to go to the pub, but couldn’t visit a neighbour on the other side of the village.
Andrew Keen, who runs the local cafe and village shop, House of Meg, says that while he could reopen the tea room fully, he intends to continue a takeaway only service to avoid having to police which side of the village his customers are from.
He said: “We are on the Cumbrian side but if people come in I’d have to check which side of the border they’re from. I’d rather stick to doing takeaway than have to police that.
“People are coming in saying ‘I'm sick of this’. They want to go back to normal and meet their friends, but they're just getting on with it.”
Andrew added: “Business is actually doing well - we’ve got great support from the community and there are a lot of people just wanting to get a coffee.”
Social worker Jeroen Schrana, who also lives on the Cumbrian side, said: “We are all one tier here - I don’t think there’s much difference in lifestyle between the two. Because it's very secluded, we are safe."
Although the village does have a pub on the Cumbrian side, The Bridge Inn, it will not be able to open as it does not serve food.
Landlady Jacquelyn Armstrong said: "It would take quite a bit of organising for us to serve food, we never have.
"We are struggling but everyone's got to pull together. The more we follow the rules, the quicker it'll be over."
Rita Brennan lives virtually on the border between the two counties, although her property technically falls under Northumberland.
She said: "The announcement was a bit of a shock - I wasn't expecting Northumberland to be in Tier 3 at all.
"I thought I might be able to pop to Hexham and go to a restaurant.
"It's very unfair and it's nonsensical to have the village split like that."
Her neighbour Tracey Evans said: "We don't really find ourselves split, it's a difficult one but I think people will cope."
Five miles away, in the usually bustling market town of Haltwhistle, many hospitality businesses woke up to the news that they will not be able to open in December - what should be their busiest time of year.
Sam Jackson, who runs Brew Bar with his wife Ashley, has turned to selling pizza and takeaway coffee during lockdown, but was “disappointed” that the bar will not be able to open.
He said: “It’s really disappointing because it just means the lockdown was useless in my eyes.
"Hospitality’s getting a bad rap, but if you come in here you have to wear a mask, it’s limited capacity - in a household situation it’s a free for all.
"We'd got a bit of momentum going after the first lockdown and then it just stopped, that’s the sad thing."
Sam added: “We’ve got about three cases between here and Bardon Mill, but London’s in Tier 2 and it’s one of the busiest cities in the world - it doesn't make any sense.
“Everyone’s talking about the fact that just a few miles away you’re into Cumbria and it’s a completely different set of rules."
Nicola Eals, of Salon Twenty Five, said it was a "massive relief" to find out that salons could reopen in any tier.
But she said: "I think it's really unfair that somewhere rural is in the same tier as somewhere like Newcastle.
"It's heartbreaking for the businesses that can't open. My sister runs one of the pubs - she’s followed every single rule and now she's been told she can’t reopen.
"Normally the town would be absolutely bustling at this time of year - tonight is the night we would normally have our Christmas Shopping Night where all the shops are open until 9pm, Santa would be here. Now it's all cancelled."
