People across the UK will be given a little more freedom to socialise this Christmas.
It was announced on Tuesday evening (November 24) that the UK government and devolved administrations had agreed on arrangements for an easing of coronavirus social restrictions in December.
Up to three households to form a 'Christmas bubble' from December 23 to 27.
People will also be able to travel between tiers and across the whole of the UK without restriction within the five-day period - only for the purposes of meeting with their selected bubble.
While this is a relaxing of the tiered system which will be in place when the national lockdown ends on December 2, there are still rules.
Everyone is allowed to form a Christmas bubble as long as three main rules are followed
- you can only be in one Christmas bubble
- you cannot change your Christmas bubble
- your Christmas bubble should not include people from more than three households
The official government advice adds that is important that you keep your Christmas bubble as small as possible.
You must NOT form a Christmas bubble if you are self-isolating.
Children (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.
You are allowed to form a different Christmas bubble from the people you live with normally.
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If you and the people you are living with want to be in different Christmas bubbles, you can choose to stay somewhere else with different people for this period and form a Christmas bubble with that household and one other household. This will count as three households.
If you're already in a support bubble this will count as one household towards the three household limit.
This means that if you are in a support bubble, you can collectively form a Christmas bubble with two other households.
If you’re in a childcare bubble, you can continue this between December 23 and 27 but only if reasonably necessary for the purposes of childcare and where there are no reasonable alternatives.
If you're a student who's moved home from university for the holidays then you will be 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.
However care home residents over 65 will not be allowed to join a Christmas bubble.
