Even the UK Government’s website fails to succinctly explain, in one place, what actually constitutes a Tier 2 Lockdown!
Here’s my attempt.
At midnight on Fri 17th Oct 2020 London moves to: “Local COVID alert level: high” which is confusingly called a Tier 2 Lockdown.
You must not socialise with anybody outside of your household or support bubble (defined lower down page) in any indoor setting, whether at home or in a public place such as a pub or restaurant.
You must not socialise in a group of more than 6 outside, including in a garden or other spaces like beaches or parks (other than where specific exemptions apply). Meeting in larger groups is against the law – the police can take action and issue fines.
Businesses and venues can continue to operate, in a COVID-secure manner, other than those that remain closed in law (nightclubs).
Pubs and restaurants are required to ensure customers only consume food and drink while seated, and must close between 10pm and 5am.
Businesses and venues selling takeaway food can continue to do so after 10pm as long as this is through delivery service, click-and-collect or drive-through. Motorway services will remain open.
Schools, universities and places of worship remain open.
Weddings (up to 15 people) and funerals (30 people) can go ahead with restrictions.
You are are advised against attending outdoor sporting events as spectators.
Exercise classes and organised sport can continue to take place outdoors. These will only be permitted indoors if it is possible for people to avoid mixing with people they do not live with or share a support bubble with, or for youth or disability sport.
If you are clinically vulnerable, keep your social interactions as low as you realistically can. Wash your hands frequently and clean regularly touched surfaces in your home or workplace.
You can continue to travel on public transport with care, but reduce the number of journeys if possible.
You can still go on holiday, but only with people in your household/support bubble.
You must wear a face covering in areas where this is mandated – shops, trains, buses etc.
Do keep social distancing, and wear a mask if it’s less than 2 metres.
Support Bubble
A support bubble is a close support network between a household with only one adult in the home (known as a single-adult household) and one other household of any size.
Once you’re in a support bubble, for Covid rules, it works like a single household
Once you make a support bubble, you should not change who’s in your bubble.
Childcare Support
The following people can provide childcare support in private homes and gardens:
- Registered childcare providers, including nannies
- People in your support bubble
- People in your childcare bubble
Childcare Bubble
A childcare bubble is where someone in one household provides informal (unpaid and unregistered) childcare to a child aged 13 or under in another household. For any given childcare bubble, this must always be between the same 2 households.
Friends or family who do not live with you and are not part of a support or childcare bubble must not visit your home to help with childcare. Childcare bubbles are to be used to provide childcare only, and not for the purposes of different households mixing where they are otherwise not allowed to do so.
More detailed information is on this government website – somewhere.