London will be put into Tier 2 of the Government's coronavirus alert levels from 12am on Saturday.
Here are the new guidelines that the city must now follow.
Gyms and Leisure centres
Gyms can stay open but visitors can't mix or train with other households.Social distancing must remain in place.
Meeting family and friends
You must not meet socially with friends and family indoors in any setting unless you live with them or have formed a support bubble with them.
This includes private homes and any other indoor venues such as pubs and restaurants.
A support bubble is where a household with one adult joins with another household. Households in that support bubble can still visit each other, stay overnight, and visit public places together.
Informal childcare can also be provided via childcare bubbles. Find out more about childcare bubbles in the ‘Childcare’ section below.
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.
Meeting in larger groups is against the law. There are certain exceptions (see below). The police can take action against you if you meet in larger groups. This includes breaking up illegal gatherings and issuing fines (fixed penalty notices).
You can be fined £200 for the first offence, doubling for further offences up to a maximum of £6,400. If you hold or are involved in holding, an illegal gathering of over 30 people, the police can issue fines of £10,000.
If you live in a high alert level area you also cannot meet indoors with people outside of the area, unless exceptions apply.
There are exceptions where people from different households can gather beyond the limits set out above. These exceptions are:
- In a legally permitted support bubble
- In a legally permitted childcare bubble (see section on childcare below for more details)
- For work, volunteering to provide voluntary or charitable services (see guidance on working safely in other people’s homes)
- For registered childcare, education or training
- For arrangements where children do not live in the same household as both their parents or guardians
- For prospective adopting parents to meet a child or children who may be placed with them
- For supervised activities provided for children, including wraparound care (before and after school childcare), youth groups and activities, and children’s playgroups
- For birth partners
- To see someone who is dying
- To provide emergency assistance, and to avoid injury or illness, or to escape a risk of harm
- To fulfil a legal obligation, such as attending court or jury service
- To provide care or assistance to someone vulnerable
- To facilitate a house move
Visiting other venues, including shops, restaurants, pubs and places of worship
Venues following COVID-secure guidance can host more people in total, but no one must mix indoors with anyone who they do not live with (or have formed a support bubble with) unless exemptions apply. Outdoors, you can meet in groups of up to 6 people.
This includes in:
- pubs and restaurants
- shops
- leisure and entertainment venues
- places of worship
Going to work
To help contain the virus, office workers who can work effectively from home should do so over the winter. Where an employer, in consultation with their employee, judges an employee can carry out their normal duties from home they should do so.
Public sector employees working in essential services, including education settings, should continue to go into work where necessary.
Anyone else who cannot work from home should go to their place of work.
Business and venues
Restrictions on businesses and venues in high alert level areas include:
- Certain businesses selling food or drink on their premises are required to close between 10pm and 5am.
- Businesses and venues selling food for consumption off the premises can continue to do so after 10pm as long as this is through delivery service, click-and-collect or drive-through. Orders must be made via phone, online or by post. Hospitality venues in ports, on transport services and in motorway service areas do not need to close at 10pm, but must not serve alcohol after that time.
- The wearing of face coverings for customers and staff in certain indoor settings.
- Businesses must ensure that if their workers are required to self-isolate, they do not work outside their designated place of self-isolation
Going to school, college and university
- Schools will remain open.
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