Maidstone has been placed in Tier 4 – a new tier with stricter restrictions announced by the government to prevent the spread of covid-19.
- Non essential shops, hair and beauty outlets, indoor entertainment venues, gyms and leisure centres must close
- Residents cannot travel abroad
Being in tier 4 means you must:
- Stay at home and only travel for work, essential supplies and medical necessity
- Work from home unless this isn’t possible
- Only meet one other person outdoors in a public place
- Not travel outside of Tier 4 unless for work or an emergency
- Not stay overnight anywhere else in the UK
Support bubbles are not affected by the new tier
Christmas
The relaxation in the regulations over Christmas has also been cancelled; with Tier 4 residents required to spend Christmas at home, only with those they live with.
The restrictions will be reviewed on 30 December.
Essential activities
You can leave home to buy things at shops which are permitted to open in your area, but you 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, to obtain or deposit money (e.g. from a bank or post office), or to access critical public services.
Meeting others and care
1 in 3 people who have coronavirus have no symptoms and will be spreading it without realising it.
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.
Communal worship and life events
You can leave home to attend a place of worship for communal worship, a funeral or a related event for someone who has died, or to visit a burial ground or a remembrance garden, or to attend a wedding – but funerals, linked events and weddings are all subject to limits on the numbers that can attend (see below).
Meeting others safely
In general, you must not meet with another person socially or undertake 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 2 metres apart from anyone not in your household – meaning the people you live with – or your support bubble. Where this is not possible, stay 1 metre apart with extra precautions (e.g. 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 5, 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
- the grounds of a heritage site
- outdoor sports courts and facilities
- playgrounds
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 (any other members of the household having been under 18 on 12 June 2020), or are an under 18 year old 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 1, or who was under 1 on 2 December 2020
- you live with a child under 5, or who was under 5 on 2 December 2020, with a disability
You may need to change your support bubble if your circumstances change. Find out more about changing your support bubble.
