What are the new Lockdown rules?

We are now in another lockdown introduced by the government to attempt to reduce Covid19 infection rates. This is particularly in response to the rapid spread of the new variant of the virus which is much easier to catch. The Health Secretary and Prime Minister have both stated that the virus is currently out of control. These rules became law on Monday 4 January and have subsequently been ratified on Wednesday 6 January in a retrospective debate and vote in Parliament.

You can read the full government guidance HERE.

Summary: what you can and cannot do during the national lockdown

You must stay at home. The single most important action we can all take is to stay at home to protect the NHS and save lives.

You should follow this guidance immediately. The law will be updated to reflect these new rules.

Leaving home

You must not leave, or be outside of your home except where necessary. You may leave the home to:

  • shop for basic necessities, for you or a vulnerable person
  • go to work, or provide voluntary or charitable services, if you cannot reasonably do so from home
  • exercise with your household (or support bubble) or one other person, this should be limited to once per day, and you should not travel outside your local area.
  • meet your support bubble or childcare bubble where necessary, but only if you are legally permitted to form one
  • seek medical assistance or avoid injury, illness or risk of harm (including domestic abuse)
  • attend education or childcare – for those eligible

Colleges, primary and secondary schools will remain open only for vulnerable children and the children of critical workers. All other children will learn remotely until February half term. Early years settings remain open.

Higher Education provision will remain online until mid February for all except future critical worker courses.

If you do leave home for a permitted reason, you should always stay local – unless it is necessary to go further, for example to go to work. Stay local means stay in the village, town, or part of the city where you live.

If you are clinically extremely vulnerable you should only go out for medical appointments, exercise or if it is essential. You should not attend work

Meeting others

You cannot leave your home to meet socially with anyone you do not live with or are not in a support bubble with (if you are legally permitted to form one).

You may exercise on your own, with one other person, or with your household or support bubble. This should be limited to once per day, and you should not travel outside your local area.

You cannot meet other people you do not live with, or have not formed a support bubble with, unless for a permitted reason.

Stay 2 metres apart from anyone not in your household.

Meeting People In Gardens Is Still Banned

EDIT: A note has now been added to the Greater Manchester local lockdown rules page on the government website to say that the local lockdown rules will be replaced by the new Tier 2 (High) rules from tomorrow. This means in effect that the government is relaxing the rules across Greater Manchester.

The government has placed Manchester in its new “Tier 2 (High)” category and the Manchester local lockdown rules have been updated. The two sets of rules say different things

The Tier 2 (High) restrictions allow people to meet other people outdoors in their gardens in groups of up to six people. The Manchester local lockdown rules do not allow this.

Basically we still can NOT meet people in our homes or gardens unless they are in our “support bubble”.

The Tier 2 (High) rules come into force on Wednesday 14 October at 00.01. Maybe the local lockdown rules will be changed again then but currently the Tier 2 and Manchester Local Lockdown rules contradict each other. There is no mention on the government’s website for the local lockdown rules that they will change when the Tier 2 rules come into force tomorrow.

What do the Manchester local lockdown rules say?

Read the Greater Manchester Local Lockdown rules in full HERE

Social contact restrictions

If you live in one of the affected areas, in order to help prevent the spread of coronavirus you must not:

  • host people you do not live with in your home or garden, unless they’re in your support or childcare bubble
  • meet people you do not live with in their home or garden, whether inside or outside the affected local areas, unless they’re in your support or childcare bubble

Your household is defined as the people you live with and any support or childcare bubble.

support bubble is where a household with one adult joins with another household. Households within a bubble can still visit each other, stay overnight, and visit public places together.

A childcare bubble is where someone in one household can provide informal (meaning unpaid and unregistered) childcare to a child aged 13 or under in another household. This must occur on an exclusive basis – always the same two households.

What do the Tier 2 (High) restrictions say?

Read the Tier 2 (High) rules in full HERE

You may continue to see friends and family you do not live with (or have not formed a support bubble with) outside, including in a garden or other outdoor space. When you do so, you must not meet in a group of more than 6. This limit of 6 includes children of any age.