This weekend the Government announced that London and part of the South East would enter new Tier 4 restrictions and the rules for Christmas celebrations would be limited for the whole of England.

Although this will have come as a major disappointment to trustees, staff and residents alike, the new restrictions have been put in place to prevent the transmission of a new, mutated form of the virus.

The new variant of Covid-19 has spread rapidly over the past few weeks. Scientists have discovered that it is transmitted more easily but there is no indication at this stage that it is more likely to cause a serious outcome (i.e. ending up in hospital or death). That said, as many of our members provide homes for older people and those more likely to suffer from complications from the disease, it is important that you are familiar with the rules and can help your residents to stick to them.

Tiers 1-3

For areas in these tiers, the opportunity to celebrate Christmas with two other households (‘Christmas bubble’) will now be limited to Christmas day only. The Government’s scientific advisers have urged caution around this, however, and it would be better to keep your interactions with other households to an absolute minimum.

The rules around support bubbles still apply and you should familiarise yourself with the rules that apply to the tier your area is in.

https://www.gov.uk/find-coronavirus-local-restrictions?priority-taxon=774cee22-d896-44c1-a611-e3109cce8eae

Tier 4

These restrictions apply in London (all borough and the City of London), Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Kent, Surrey (excluding Waverley), Gosport, Havant, Portsmouth, Rother, Hastings, Bedford, Central Bedfordshire, Milton Keynes, Luton, Peterborough, Hertfordshire, and Essex (excluding Colchester, Uttlesford and Tendring).

In short, Tier 4 restrictions are effectively a lockdown. You cannot leave or be outside of the place you are living unless you have a reasonable excuse. You should not leave the Tier 4 area or travel abroad. You cannot meet other people indoors, including over the Christmas period, unless you live with them or they are part of your support bubble. Outdoors, you can only meet one person from another household. Full details on the Tier 4 rules can be found at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/tier-4-stay-at-home?priority-taxon=774cee22-d896-44c1-a611-e3109cce8eae.

These new rules are likely to be quite upsetting for your residents, who have possibly been looking forward to spending time with their friends and relatives over the festive period. We would recommend calling your residents to make sure they are ok and to offer any support they might need in the coming days. This might include putting them in touch with relevant services (e.g. community voluntary groups, Age UK, social services) or offering to help them yourselves with shopping and other tasks to enable them to minimise their contact with others.

It is worth remembering, however, that almshouses are for independent living and, if you choose to implement stricter rules for your almshouses, you should only do this with the prior agreement of the residents. Residents may choose to spend time in their support bubbles or attend a communal worship service over the festive period as allowed under the rules, but there will naturally be an increased risk in transmitting the virus. You should therefore consider closing any communal lounges, having a rota in place for communal laundries, and implementing a more frequent cleaning regime in communal spaces (e.g. laundries, corridors etc). Guest rooms should be closed.

At this stage it is not known how long these rules will be in place or if any other areas in England will be put into Tier 4. The next review of the tiers will take place on 30 December.

Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland

Different rules apply in the other nations of the UK. These are:

  • Wales – Wales has today entered ‘alert level 4’, which is broadly similar to the Tier 4 restrictions in place in England. The main difference is that up to two households can form a ‘Christmas bubble’ for Christmas day only. A full breakdown of the rules can be found at: https://gov.wales/alert-level-4
  • Scotland – Scotland also operate a tiered system of restrictions and you should check which tier your area is in. Over Christmas, the Scottish government advises you to spend the festive period with your household only but a Christmas bubble of up to 8 people from 3 households (plus children under the age of 12 from 3 households) can be formed. Full details can be found at: https://www.gov.scot/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-protection-levels/

Posted 21 December 20