Yorkshire Coast Christmas Bubbles Explained

Here's what you can and can't do when forming a Christmas bubble in Scarborough, Filey, Whitby and Bridlington.

When the Prime Minister’s announced on Saturday afternoon that London and the South East of England were entering Tier 4, he also announced changes to the Christmas bubble guidance.

North Yorkshire remains in Tier 2, Bridlington and the East Riding remains in Tier 3. In both Tiers we can now form Christmas bubbles on Christmas Day only.

North Yorkshire County Council have provided residents with a guide to the new restrictions, they say...

Making a Christmas bubble with friends and family

If you have coronavirus symptoms or are currently self-isolating, you must not form a Christmas bubble. These rules are the law and you must follow them even if it means not meeting with friends or family for Christmas Day.

If a member of your Christmas bubble tests positive for coronavirus or develops coronavirus symptoms on 25 December, or up to 48 hours after members of the bubble last met, all members of the bubble must self-isolate as if they were members of the same household.

In areas in Tiers 1 to 3, you may see a maximum of two other households (your ‘Christmas bubble’) on Christmas Day (25 December). You cannot see anyone from a Tier 4 area. You should think very carefully about the risks and only form a Christmas bubble if you feel you absolutely need to. Wherever possible, discuss alternatives to meeting up in person.

You can only form a Christmas bubble if you do not live in a Tier 4 area. If you are permitted to form a Christmas bubble and choose to do so:

• Keep your Christmas bubble as small as possible. Two other households is a maximum, not a target
• Do not join a Christmas bubble with anyone from a Tier 4 area
• Stop all unnecessary social contact outside your immediate household as soon as possible and for at least five days before you meet other households in your bubble
• Only meet your Christmas bubble in private homes or in your garden, places of worship, or public outdoor spaces
• Only see your bubble on Christmas Day. Do not stay overnight and keep your visits as short as possible
• Stay local where possible. Avoid travelling from a high prevalence to a low prevalence area
• Only meet people who are not in your Christmas bubble outside your home according to the rules in the tier you live in (unless coming from a lower to a higher tier) and do not meet socially with friends and family that you do not live with in your home or garden unless they are part of your Christmas bubble

When seeing your Christmas bubble, you should keep taking steps to reduce the spread of the virus. This includes meeting outdoors where possible, ensuring indoor spaces get as much fresh air as possible, making space between members of different households wherever you can, washing your hands regularly and for 20 seconds, and following rules on self-isolation if you develop symptoms or test positive for coronavirus.

You must not visit another household if you, or anyone in your household, is feeling unwell or self-isolating. You should get a free test if you have symptoms, have been asked to by your local council or your hospital, or are taking part in a government pilot project.

Meeting your Christmas bubble indoors

If someone is in your Christmas bubble, you can visit each other’s homes on 25 December, but must not stay overnight. You can also go to a place of worship together, or meet in public outdoor spaces. You cannot meet your Christmas bubble in any other indoor setting, such as a pub, hotel, shop, theatre, or restaurant. In these settings, rules on who you can and cannot meet depend on your tier.

Do not meet with friends and family that you do not live with in your home or garden unless they are part of your Christmas bubble. You can continue to meet people who are not in your Christmas bubble outside your home according to the rules in the tier you live in, but should aim to minimise all non-essential contact. If you travel to a tier with stricter rules than the one you have come from, you should follow the stricter rules that are in place.

There are specific guidelines for those who have chosen to form a different Christmas bubble from the people they normally live with, and for those who choose not to form a Christmas bubble.

We know that it’s easier to catch and spread the virus in an indoor space, especially if there is little flow of fresh air. Therefore, when meeting your Christmas bubble you should take these measures to prevent the spread of the virus:

• keep your visits short because the risk of transmission increases the longer you stay
• wash your hands frequently
• clean touch points regularly, such as door handles and surfaces
• keep socially distanced from anybody you do not live with as much as possible
• make sure you let as much fresh air in as you can during a visit and after visitors have left, without getting cold, by opening windows and doors

People may continue to work in other people’s homes where necessary, such as for nannies, cleaners or tradespeople. To reduce risk, they should observe social distancing wherever possible, and where it can be avoided should not go into homes that are hosting Christmas bubbles.

It is vital that we each take personal responsibility this Christmas to limit the spread of the virus and protect our loved ones, particularly if they are vulnerable. One in three people with coronavirus (COVID-19) has no symptoms and will be spreading it without realising, so the safest way to celebrate Christmas this year is with your household or existing support bubble in your home. The more people you see, the more likely it is that you will catch or spread coronavirus.