Warrington Covid rules: What you can and can't do in tier 4

The changes take place as of tomorrow morning, New Year's Eve.

Warrington is among 23 new areas to be under the toughest restrictions.

Here are the main rules at a glance.

STAY AT HOME

If you live in tier 4 you MUST NOT leave or be outside of your home or garden except where you have a ‘reasonable excuse’. A reasonable excuse includes:

Work and volunteering

You can leave home for work if you cannot work from home, including if your job involves working in other people’s homes. You can also leave home to provide voluntary or charitable services.

Essential activities

You can leave home to buy things at essential shops but should stay local. For instance you can leave home to buy food or medicine, or to collect any items – including food or drink – ordered through click-and-collect or as a takeaway. You can also go to the bank or post office.

Fulfilling legal obligations

You may also leave home to fulfil legal obligations, or to carry out activities related to buying, selling, letting or renting a residential property, or where it is reasonably necessary for voting in an election or referendum.

Education and childcare

Parents can still take their children to school, and people can continue existing arrangements for contact between parents and children where they live apart. This includes childcare bubbles.

Meeting others

You can leave home to visit people in your support bubble, or to provide informal childcare for children aged 13 and under as part of a childcare bubble, to provide care for vulnerable people, to provide emergency assistance, attend a support group (of up to 15 people), or for respite care where that care is being provided to a vulnerable person or a person with a disability, or is a short break in respect of a looked after child.

Exercise and recreation

People can also exercise outdoors or visit some public outdoor places, such as parks, the countryside, public gardens or outdoor sports facilities. You can continue to do unlimited exercise alone, or in a public outdoor place with your household, support bubble, or with one other person if you maintain social distancing.

Medical reasons, harm and compassionate visits

You can leave home for a medical reason, including to get a Covid-19 test, for medical appointments and emergencies, to be with someone who is giving birth, to avoid injury or illness or to escape risk of harm (such as domestic abuse), or to take an animal to the vet.

You can also leave home to visit someone who is dying or someone in a care home, hospice, or hospital, or to accompany them to a medical appointment. This is subject to the facility's own rules on visits.

Communal worship and life events

In limited numbers, you can leave home to attend or visit:

• A place of worship for communal worship
• A funeral
• A burial ground or a remembrance garden
• A wedding ceremony

Meeting others safely

In general, you must not meet socially or carry out any activities with another person. However, you can exercise or meet in a public outdoor place with people you live with, your support bubble (or as part of a childcare bubble), or with one other person.

You should minimise time spent outside your home. When around other people, stay two metres apart from anyone not in your household or your support bubble. Where this is not possible, stay one metre apart with extra precautions (for example, wearing a face covering).

You must not meet socially indoors with family or friends unless they are part of your household or support bubble.

You can exercise or visit a public outdoor place:

• By yourself
• With the people you live with
• With your support bubble
• Or, when on your own, with 1 person from another household
• Children under five, and up to two carers for a person with a disability who needs continuous care are not counted towards the outdoors gatherings limit.

Public outdoor places include:

• Parks, beaches, countryside accessible to the public, forests
• Public gardens (whether or not you pay to enter them)
• Allotments
• Heritage site grounds
• Outdoor sports courts and facilities
• Playgrounds
• You cannot meet people in a private garden, unless you live with them or have formed a support bubble with them.

Face masks

You must wear a face covering in many indoor settings, such as shops or places of worship where these remain open, and on public transport, unless you are exempt.

Support and childcare bubbles

There is separate guidance for support bubbles and childcare bubbles across all tiers. You can form a support bubble with another household if any of the following apply to you:

• You are the only adult in your household or are under 18 living without any adults
• You live with someone with a disability who requires continuous care and there is no other adult living in the household
• You live with a child under one, or who was under one on December 2
• You live with a child under five, or who was under five on December 2, who has a disability and requires continuous care
• You can leave your home to visit your support bubble (and to stay overnight with them). However, if you form a support bubble, it is best if this is with a household who live locally. This will help prevent the virus spreading from an area where more people are infected.

Where and when you can meet in larger groups

There are still circumstances in which you are allowed to meet others from outside your household or support bubble in larger groups, but this should not be for socialising and only for permitted purposes. A full list of these circumstances will be included in the regulations, and includes:

• For work, or providing voluntary or charitable services. This can include work in other people’s homes where necessary – for example, for nannies, cleaners, social care workers providing support to children and families, or tradespeople. Where a work meeting does not need to take place in a private home or garden, it should not – for example, although you can meet a personal trainer, you should do so in a public outdoor place
• In a childcare bubble (for the purposes of childcare only)
• For registered childcare, or for supervised activities for children where this enables a parent to work, seek work, attend education or training, or for respite care
• Education or training – meaning education related to a formal curriculum or training that relates to work or obtaining work
• For arrangements where children do not live in the same household as both their parents or guardians
• To allow contact between birth parents and children in care, as well as between siblings in care
• For prospective adopting parents to meet a child or children who may be placed with them
• To place or facilitate the placing of a child or children in the care of another by social services
• For birth partners
• To provide emergency assistance, and to avoid injury or illness, or to escape a risk of harm
• To see someone who is dying
• To fulfil a legal obligation, such as attending court or jury service
• For gatherings within criminal justice accommodation or immigration detention centres
• To provide care or assistance to someone vulnerable, or to provide respite for a carer
• For a wedding or equivalent ceremony in exceptional circumstances and only for up to six people
• For funerals – up to a maximum of 30 people. Wakes and other linked ceremonial events can continue in a group of up to six people
• To visit someone at home who is dying, or to visit someone receiving treatment in a hospital, hospice or care home, or to accompany a family member or friend to a medical appointment
• For elite sportspeople (and their coaches if necessary, or parents/guardians if they are under 18) to compete and train
• To facilitate a house move
• Support groups that have to be delivered in person can continue with up to 15 participants where formally organised to provide mutual aid, therapy or any other form of support – but they must take place at a premises other than a private home. This includes, but is not limited to, support to victims of crime, people in drug and alcohol recovery, new parents and guardians, people caring for those with long-term or terminal illnesses, or who are vulnerable, people facing issues relating to their sexuality or gender, those who have suffered bereavement, and vulnerable young people, including for them to meet youth workers.
• Parent and child groups can continue where they provide support to parent and/or child, and children under five will not be counted within the 15 person limit – meaning parents and carers can attend such groups in larger numbers. These cannot take place in private homes.
• Where a group includes someone covered by an exception (for example, someone who is working or volunteering), they are not generally counted as part of the gatherings limit. This means, for example, a tradesperson can go into a household without breaching the limit, if they are there for work, and the officiant at a wedding would not count towards the limit

TRAVEL

You must not leave your home unless you have a reasonable excuse (for example, for work or education purposes). If you need to travel you should stay local – meaning avoiding travelling outside of your village or town where you live – and look to reduce the number of journeys you make overall. The main reasons for leaving your home include:

• Work, where you cannot work from home
• Accessing education and for caring responsibilities
• Visiting those in your support bubble – or your childcare bubble for childcare
• Visiting hospital, GP and other medical appointments or visits where you have had an accident or are concerned about your health
• Buying goods or services from premises that are open in tier 4 areas, including essential retail, but these should be within your local area wherever possible
• Outdoor recreation or exercise. This should be done locally wherever possible, but you can travel a short distance if necessary. For example, to visit an open space.
• Taking a pet to the vet
• If you need to travel, walk or cycle where possible, and plan ahead and avoid busy times and routes on public transport. This will allow you to practice social distancing while you travel
• Avoid car sharing with anyone from outside your household or your support bubble.
• On public transport, attempt to avoid busy times and unnecessary stops. Keep your distance from other people where possible and wear a mask at all times

TRAVELLING OUT OF A TIER 4 AREA

You must stay at home and not leave your tier 4 area, other than for legally permitted reasons such as:

• Travel to work where you cannot work from home
• Travel to education and for caring responsibilities
• Visit or stay overnight with people in your support bubble, or your childcare bubble for childcare purposes
• Attend hospital, GP and other medical appointments or visits where you have had an accident or are concerned about your health
• To provide emergency assistance, and to avoid injury or illness, or to escape a risk of harm (such as domestic abuse)

STAYING AWAY FROM HOME OVERNIGHT

You cannot leave your home or the place where you are living for holidays or overnight stays unless you have a reasonable excuse for doing so. This means that holidays in the UK and abroad are not allowed.

This includes staying in a second home or caravan, if that is not your primary residence. This also includes staying with anyone who you don’t live with unless they’re in your support bubble.

You are allowed to stay overnight away from your home if you:

• Are visiting your support bubble
• Are unable to return to your main residence
• Need accommodation while moving house
• Need accommodation to attend a funeral
• Require accommodation for work purposes or to provide voluntary services
• Are a child requiring accommodation for school or care
• Are homeless, seeking asylum or a vulnerable person seeking refuge
• Are an elite athlete or their support staff or parent, if the athlete is under 18 and it is necessary to be outside of the home for training or competition

BUSINESSES THAT MUST CLOSE

Non-essential retail, such as clothing and homeware stores, vehicle showrooms (other than for rental), betting shops, tailors, tobacco and vape shops, electronic goods and mobile phone shops, auction houses (except for auctions of livestock or agricultural equipment) and market stalls selling non-essential goods must close. However they can operate click-and-collect (where goods are pre-ordered and collected off the premises) and delivery services

Hospitality venues such as cafes, restaurants, pubs, bars and social clubs will continue to be shut with the exception of providing food and drink for takeaway (until 11pm), click-and-collect, drive-through or delivery

Leisure and sports facilities such as leisure centres and indoor gyms, indoor swimming pools, indoor sports courts, indoor fitness and dance studios, indoor riding centres, and indoor climbing walls must close.

Entertainment venues will continue to be off limits such as theatres, concert halls, cinemas, museums and galleries, casinos, amusement arcades, bingo halls, bowling alleys, skating rinks, go-karting venues, indoor play and soft play centres and areas (including inflatable parks and trampolining centres), circuses, fairgrounds, funfairs, zoos and other animal attractions, water parks and theme parks.

Indoor attractions at venues such as botanical gardens, heritage homes and landmarks must also close, though outdoor grounds of these premises can stay open.

Personal care facilities such as hair, beauty, tanning and nail salons. Tattoo parlours, spas, massage parlours, body and skin piercing services must also close. These services should not be provided in other people’s homes

Community centres and halls must close except for a limited number of exempt activities, as set out below.

Libraries can also remain open to provide access to IT and digital services – for example for people who do not have it at home – and for click-and-collect services

ESSENTIAL SHOPS AND SERVICES

• Essential retail such as food shops, supermarkets, pharmacies, garden centres, building merchants and suppliers of building products and off-licences
• Market stalls selling essential retail may also stay open
• Businesses providing repair services may also stay open, where they primarily offer repair services
• Petrol stations, automatic (but not manual) car washes, vehicle repair and MOT services, bicycle shops, and taxi and vehicle hire businesses
• Banks, building societies, post offices, short-term loan providers and money transfer businesses
• Funeral directors
• Laundrettes and dry cleaners
• Medical and dental services
• Vets and pet shops
• Animal rescue centres, boarding facilities, and animal groomers (may continue to be used for animal welfare, rather than aesthetic purposes)
• Agricultural supplies shops
• Mobility and disability support shops
• Storage and distribution facilities
• Car parks, public toilets and motorway service areas
• Outdoor playgrounds
• Outdoor gym, pools, sports courts and facilities
• Golf courses
• Outdoor riding centres
• Places of worship
• Crematoriums and burial grounds

Public services

The majority of public services will continue and you will be able to leave home to visit them. These include:

• The NHS and medical services like GPs and dentists. We are supporting the NHS to carry out urgent and non-urgent services safely, and it is vital anyone who thinks they need any kind of medical care comes forward and seeks help
• Jobcentre Plus sites
• Courts and probation services
• Civil registrations offices
• Passport and visa services
• Services provided to victims
• Waste or recycling centres

Going to school, college and university

Schools and colleges will remain open during term time in tier 4 areas.

On the tier 4 guidance it said: "The government will continue to prioritise the wellbeing and long-term futures of our young people. It remains very important for children and young people to attend, to support their wellbeing and education and help working parents and guardians."

Those at university should not move back and forward between your permanent home and student home during term time.

Students can meet in groups of more than their household as part of your formal education or training.

"You should socially distance from anyone you do not live with wherever possible," the guidance added.

Childcare

There are several ways that parents and carers can continue to access childcare in tier 4 areas:

• Early years settings and childminders remain open, and you can continue to use these settings as normal
• You can access other childcare activities where reasonably necessary to enable parents to work, seek work, attend education or training, a medical appointment or respite care
• Nannies will be able to continue to provide services, including in the home
• Parents are able to form a childcare bubble with one other household for the purposes of informal childcare, where the child is 13 or under
• Some households will also be able to benefit from being in a support bubble
• Some youth services are able to continue, such as one-to-one youth work and support groups, but most youth clubs and groups will have to temporarily stop.

Visiting relatives in care homes

Visits to care homes can take place with arrangements such as substantial screens, visiting pods, or behind windows. Close-contact indoor visits are not allowed.

Places of worship

You can attend places of worship for a service. However, you must not mingle with anyone outside of your household or support bubble. You should maintain strict social distancing at all times.

Sports and physical activity

Indoor gyms and sports facilities will close. Outdoor sports courts, outdoor gyms, golf courses, outdoor swimming pools, archery/driving/shooting ranges, riding centres and playgrounds can remain open for individual exercise, and for people to use with others within your household, support bubble, or with one person from another household. Organised outdoor sport for under 18s and disabled people will be allowed.

Moving home

You can still move home. People outside your household or support bubble should not help with moving house unless absolutely necessary.

Estate and letting agents and removals firms can continue to work. If you are looking to move, you can go to property viewings.