In advance of the end of the second national lockdown on 2^nd December 2020, the government has announced its system of tiers for managing the spread of COVID-19 including:-

 

• Tier 1: Medium alert;
• Tier 2: High alert; and
• Tier 3: Very High alert.

 

You can check which tier applies to you, together with a full list of which tier applies to which geographical area here, whilst this link sets out the restrictions the apply within the relevant tiers.

The government has also announced that the determination of which tier is appropriate is primarily reliant on five key epidemiological factors, including:-

 

 

1. Case detection rates in all age groups;
2. Case detection rates in those over 60 years of age;
3. The rate at which cases are rising or falling;
4. The positivity rate (i.e. the number of positive cases of COVID-19 detected as a percentage of tests taken);
5. Pressure on the NHS, including current and projected occupancy.

 

Alongside this announcement, the government has also rolled out its plans for “Christmas bubbles”, further information on which can be found here. In brief, between 23^rd and 27^th December 2020:-

 

• you can form an exclusive Christmas bubble composed of people from no more than three households;
• you can only be in one Christmas bubble;
• you cannot change your Christmas bubble;
• you can travel between tiers and UK nations for the purposes of meeting your Christmas bubble;
• you can only meet you Christmas bubble in private homes or in your garden, places of worship, or public outdoor spaces;
• you can continue to meet people who are not in your Christmas bubble outside your home as long as you follow the rules for the tier in which you are staying; and
• you cannot meet someone in a private dwelling who is not part of your household or Christmas bubble.