Following the Prime Minister’s announcement on Saturday, I understand that many will be unsure about the new Christmas restrictions.
Currently, Oxfordshire remains in Tier 2, which means the following:
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Up to 6 people not from the same household can meet outside
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Retail and non-essential shops will remain open
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Restaurants, pubs and gyms will continue to operate.
In Tier 2, on Christmas Day only, families can:
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Form a Christmas Bubble with two other households from tier 3 or lower.
However, the new Christmas restrictions mean that:
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Christmas Bubbles can only mix on Christmas Day;
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anyone in Tier 4 areas can no longer mix with any other household on Christmas Day.
More detailed guidance about the new restrictions can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/guidance-for-the-christmas-period.
Guidelines on support bubbles remains unchanged: those living alone can still meet their support bubble over the Christmas period regardless of their tier. You can read more about support bubbles here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/making-a-support-bubble-with-another-household.
I fully appreciate that this is not the Christmas that we were expecting. However, it remains absolutely critical that we recognise, react, and adapt to the scientific evidence to keep our friends and family safe during the pandemic.
