What are the tier three rules in Portsmouth? Here's what you can and cannot do in city, Gosport and Havant under new coronavirus restrictions

The new coronavirus restrictions will come into force at 12.01am on Saturday.

It follows a review of the current rules in place for across Hampshire and means that the three areas will move out of tier two and into the ‘very high’ alert level.

Find out which tier you will be in here.

The move to tier three means that a new set of restrictions will be in place for Portsmouth, Gosport and Hampshire from Saturday.

These new rules include the closure of leisure and hospitality businesses such as pubs, theatres and cinemas.

Here is all you need to know about what you can and cannot do in the tier three areas from Saturday.

Meeting indoors

You must not meet socially indoors with anybody you do not:

- live with

- have a support bubble with

Unless a legal exemption applies.

‘Indoors’ means any indoor setting, including:

- private homes

- other indoor venues such as pubs and restaurants

SEE ALSO: Live updates as Portsmouth, Gosport and Havant to be moved to Covid tier three

Meeting outdoors

You must not meet socially (in a private garden or at most outdoor public venues), with anybody you do not:

- live with

- have a support bubble with

Unless a legal exemption applies.

However, you can see friends and family you do not live with (or do not have a support bubble with) in some outdoor public places, in a group of up to 6. This limit of 6 includes children of any age.

These outdoor public places include:

- parks, beaches, countryside accessible to the public, forests

- public gardens (whether or not you pay to enter them)

- allotments

- the grounds of a heritage site

- outdoor sports courts and facilities

- playgrounds

You can continue to meet in a group larger than 6 if you are all from the same household or support bubble, or another legal exemption applies.

Meeting in larger groups

There are exceptions where people can continue to gather indoors or in private gardens, or in groups larger than 6, in outdoor public places:

as part of a single household or support bubble

- in a childcare bubble (for the purposes of childcare only)

- for work, or providing voluntary or charitable services, including in other people’s homes (read guidance on working safely in other people’s homes)

- for registered childcare, education or training – meaning education related to a formal curriculum or training that relates to work or obtaining work

- for supervised activities provided for children and those who were under 18 on 31 August 2020, including wraparound care (before and after-school childcare), children’s groups, activities for under-18s, and children’s playgroups

- for parent and toddler groups – up to a maximum of 15 people. Under-5s do not count towards this limit. These cannot take place in private dwellings.

- 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

- support groups of up to 15 participants – formally organised groups to provide mutual aid, therapy or any other form of support, where it is necessary for these to take place in person. These cannot take place in private dwellings. Under-5s do not count towards the 15 person limit for support groups

- 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 accomodation 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 where the organiser has carried out a risk assessment and taken all reasonable measures. Receptions are not permitted to limit the risk of transmission of the virus. These cannot take place in private dwellings, except for weddings that take place in exceptional circumstances where one of the parties is seriously ill and not expected to recover.

- for funerals – up to a maximum of 30 people – and for commemorative events, such as wakes or stonesettings – up to 15 people. These cannot take place in private dwellings

- 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 support teams if necessary, or parents/guardians if they are under 18) to compete and train

- for organised outdoor sport and physical activity and organised sports for disabled people

- to facilitate a house move

Going to work

Everyone who can work from home should do so.

Where people cannot do so – including, but not limited to, people who work in critical national infrastructure, construction, or manufacturing – they should continue to travel to their workplace.

Public-sector employees working in essential services, including education settings, should continue to go into work where necessary.

Going to school, college and university

The government has prioritised ensuring all children and young people can attend school and college safely, to support their wellbeing and education and help working parents and guardians.

All pupils should continue to attend school and colleges, unless required to self-isolate, when their school and college should provide them with high quality remote education.

Childcare

There are several ways that parents and carers can continue to access childcare in tier 3. You can get childcare support from:

- registered childcare providers

- professional childcare providers in the home such as nannies (read guidance on working safely in other people’s homes)

- other supervised activities provided for young people (including anyone who was under 18 on 31 August 2020) – including wraparound care, youth groups and activities, and children’s playgroups

- people in a childcare bubble – 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

- people in a support bubble – some households will also be able to benefit from being in a support bubble

Friends or family who do not live with you and are not part of a support or childcare bubble must not visit your home to help with childcare. Childcare bubbles are to be used to provide childcare only, and not for the purposes of different households mixing where they are otherwise not allowed to do so.

Visiting relatives in care homes

Visits to care homes can take place with arrangements such as substantial screens, visiting pods, and window visits.

Regular testing will be offered to up to two family members or friends per resident by Christmas, which – when combined with other infection-control measures such as PPE – will support indoor visits with physical contact.

Weddings, civil partnerships, religious services and funerals

Weddings, civil partnership ceremonies and funerals must only take place in COVID-secure venues or in public outdoor spaces unless in exceptional circumstances.

You can have up to:

- 15 people for wedding or civil partnership ceremonies – but receptions are not permitted

- 30 people for funerals

-15 people for wakes or linked ceremonial events (such as stone-settings) before or after the funeral

The limits above are the maximum number for all attendees at the event, for example at a wedding or civil partnership ceremony to include the couple and guests.

Anyone working at a wedding, civil partnership ceremony, funeral or linked ceremonial event is not included in the limit.

Within these larger gatherings, social distancing should still be followed between people who do not live together or share a support bubble.

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.

Sport and physical activity

In line with guidance from sporting national governing bodies, you can take part in organised sport and physical activity outdoors with any number of people.

However, you should avoid contact in training and, for some sports, avoid contact in all activities.

Gyms and sports facilities will be open for individual exercise and exercise in single households or support bubbles only. Indoor group activities and exercise classes should not take place.

You can continue to do unlimited exercise alone, or in an outdoor public place in groups up to 6.

There are exceptions for the following, which can take place in any number:

- disability sport

- sports as part of the curriculum in education

- supervised sport and physical activity for under-18s (including those who were under 18 on 31 August 2020)

Moving home

You can still move home.

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

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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