COVID Christmas Rules Explained

NAUGHTY OR NICE: YOU CAN STILL HOLIDAY IN THE UK THIS CHRISTMAS

Now that the Government has issued new COVID-19-related rules for Christmas 2020, here's what you need to know if you are thinking of booking a self-catering holiday in the UK this Christmas.

Travel restrictions are relaxed from 23 – 27 December (inclusive) to allow people to travel between local authority areas and the four nations (England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales) of the UK to join their bubble.

The good news is that your Christmas bubble (which for a few days can be up to three households) can come together in a cottage for up to four nights from the 23rd of December to the 27th of December.

You will be able to mix as much as you like inside the cottage and go on walks etc., outside.

While you can't all go to a pub or restaurant, one of the joys about booking a large holiday cottage is that it will have excellent kitchen facilities and dining areas. These should be sufficient to enable you all to not only cook gargantuan Christmas banquets but also to dine together around one large table.

Self-catering properties have never been so popular as a place to holiday as now. They provide accommodation and facilities that you don't have to share with others (unless you are in a holiday park, (and even then, you only come into contact with others if you use their communal facilities). They also offer plenty of opportunities to spend time in reassuringly remote and secluded rural areas away from urban centres of population.

The main Christmas rules are:

* Up to three households in a 'Christmas bubble' can mix indoors and stay overnight.

* There are no travel restrictions in place during this period.

* You aren't allowed into a pub or restaurant with your bubble, although you can pick up takeaways.

* You might want to get everyone to self-isolate ahead of your holiday, as f you have COVID-19 symptoms or are self-isolating, you cannot join a bubble.

* You can only meet other people outside your bubble outdoors, and then only in line with the rules of the tier in which you are staying.

For further Government information on the conditions for all three tiers, CLICK HERE.

Finally, if you haven't booked a holiday property yet, don't dally! There's been a significant upsurge in demand for Christmas bookings, especially in Cornwall, Scilly and the Isle of Wight, the only Tier One designated locations in England.

Click here to begin your search for a suitably large holiday today!