Saturday afternoon, prof The Welsh Prime Minister announced that Wales will be moving to the highest level of coronavirus restrictions Earlier than originally planned

The move to Tier 4 restrictions has been matched in Wales across the UK Coronavirus mitigation rules have been cut dramatically during the holiday season Across Scotland, Northern Ireland and England as well.

UK leaders initially agreed that groups of up to three families could gather at home, outdoors or at a place of worship for five days over Christmas.

However, the following The emergence of a new strain of the virus in the southeast, Which has since spread to Wales, the Four Nations changed the rules for Christmas on Saturday.

The Welsh government tightened coronavirus rules for Christmas less than a week before the big day

On Saturday afternoon, Wells amended the rules and said they will take effect almost immediately at midnight on Saturday.

This means that the five-day Christmas bubble period has been reduced to just Christmas Day in Wales, England and Scotland.

Meanwhile, vast swaths of the southeast have been placed under new Level 4 rules which means that people should not meet anyone who is not within their family at all, even on Christmas Day.

What can people do in Wales during the Christmas period?

Alert Level 4 in Wales means that:

  • People should stay home, except for very limited purposes
  • People should not visit other homes, or meet other people they do not live with
  • Many types of businesses need to be closed

Will the rules still apply on Christmas Day?

There are special guidelines that only apply on Christmas Day, December 25.

The Welsh government changed the relaxation of the rules, which previously allowed two families to come together to form a Christmas bubble over a five-day period, so that they apply only on Christmas Day.

On December 25th only:

  • You can create an exclusive ‘Christmas Bubble’ that does not consist of more than two families (yours and one other family)
  • You can only be in one Christmas bubble
  • You cannot change your Christmas bubble
  • You can travel anywhere within the UK for the purposes of meeting your Christmas bubble (as per the rules you are traveling to)

If you live alone, the rules for Christmas Day allow one person, a parent household, or a family with a responsible adult to join the Christmas bubble.

If you are planning to spend Christmas elsewhere in the UK, different UK countries have different rules and you’ll need to check before you travel.

If you are traveling away from home, you should travel to meet the Christmas bubble and go home during December 25th.

You can no longer stay overnight with the other members of your Christmas bubble on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, unless they are also part of your pre-existing Support Bubble.

Holiday accommodations will not be open, even on Christmas.

The five-day Christmas bubble period has been reduced to Christmas Day only in Wales

Who should be in your Christmas bubble?

Christmas bubbles are different from regular extended families and have their own rules. The rules for forming and using a Christmas bubble are the law.

Everyone is allowed to form a birthday bubble. There are three main rules:

  • You can only be in one Christmas bubble
  • You cannot change your Christmas bubble
  • Your Christmas bubble should not include people from more than two families

It is recommended that you keep the Christmas bubble as small as possible – you do not have to form a Christmas bubble.

You shouldn’t form a Christmas bubble if you or someone in your family or extended family is in self-isolation.

What can you do over Christmas?

The birthday bubble can only meet in a private home, place of worship, or outdoor public spaces.

You can spend time with any number of your Christmas bubble members on Christmas Day in your garden or any outdoor public place.

Children under the age of 18 whose parents don’t live together may be part of the parents’ Christmas bubbles, if their parents choose to make separate bubbles.

Students are considered part of the family they returned to at Christmas and are not treated as part of the household in which they spent this period.

The current subsidy bubbles are counted as one family within any household’s limits. This means if you are in a support bubble you can collectively form a Christmas bubble with another family in Wales.

If you choose to form a birthday bubble that is different from the other people in your home – the people you normally live with – you should take extra steps to prevent the chance of the virus spreading inside your home and between the bubbles.

This may include:

  • Choosing to meet the other member (s) in your bubble in their home rather than meet you wherever possible
  • If you cannot meet the other member (s) in your bubble far from your home, avoid contact with people from other bubbles who may be in your home.
  • Taking extra precautions such as cleaning surfaces and contact points like door handles and letting in as much fresh air as possible after someone visits your home

Traveling to regions outside of Wales

Travel restrictions will be lifted across Wales, England and Northern Ireland on Christmas Day, allowing people to travel across countries or between local levels in order to meet those inside their bubble – except for people in Tier 4 regions in England.

This means you can travel to other parts of the UK as long as:

  • You are also permitted to meet people traveling from Wales at the place you are traveling to, and
  • You can go home by the end of December 25th

There is a “strict” travel ban between Scotland and the rest of the United Kingdom.

Anyone traveling to or from Northern Ireland can travel on December 22 and 28, but should only meet their Christmas bubble between December 23 and 27.

With the exception of those at level 4 in England, people can continue to meet others who are not in their Christmas bubble outside of their homes, but must abide by the rules in the class they are staying in.

What about the rest of the UK?

In England and Scotland, aside from regions at Level 4 in England, the Christmas Bubble will be allowed for up to three families to meet on Christmas Day – not December 23-27 as previously announced.

For Scotland, a maximum of eight people from three families can meet on Christmas Day, but the advice is to reduce the numbers and keep things outdoors if possible.

In Northern Ireland, three families could form a bubble from December 23-27, however, from Boxing Day, people are only urged to leave the house for basic reasons for six weeks.

With the exception of those at Level 4 in England, people can continue to meet others who are not in their Christmas bubble outside of their homes, but must abide by the rules in the class they are in.