On November 5, England went into its second national lockdown following a surge in Covid cases across the country.
Lockdown ended on December 2, and the country returned to a regional tier system immediately after.
With regions across the country in different tiers, each following a different set of restrictions, what are the rules for travelling to friends and family?
Can you travel between tiers after lockdown ends?
When lockdown ended on December 2, the ban on national travel also ended, freeing up people to travel to different regions again.
With the end of lockdown, England returned to a regional tier system, with PM Boris Johnson outlining which regions will be under which tier in late November. .
The rules around travel once lockdown ends depend on which tier a region is placed in.
The guidance states that people who live in a tier three area should ‘avoid travelling to other parts of the UK, including for overnight stays other than where necessary, such as for work, education, youth services, to receive medical treatment, or because of caring responsibilities.’
The advice for people in a tier two region states: ‘If you live in a tier two area, you must continue to follow tier one rules when you travel to a tier one area.
Avoid travel to or overnight stays in tier three areas other than where necessary… You can travel through a tier three area as a part of a longer journey.’
Can you travel for Christmas?
The advice and guidance about travel across the country does not apply to a select number of days over Christmas, however.
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It was confirmed that all countries of the UK have agreed to relax the rules for a short window over Christmas.
In the announcement, it was revealed that ‘travel restrictions across the four administrations and between tiers will be lifted to provide a window for households to come together between December 23 and 27.’
Over these five days, a maximum of three households can form a bubble to meet at home.
Each of these Christmas bubbles ‘can meet at home, at a place of worship or an outdoor public place, but existing, more restrictive rules on hospitality and meeting in other venues will be maintained throughout this period.’
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