Greater Manchester
The rule of 6 does not apply to areas of Greater Manchester listed below. This is because the areas a designated areas with report if high positive COVID reports.
The rules in Greater Manchester apply to the city of Manchester, Trafford, Oldham, Bury, Bolton, Tameside, Rochdale and Salford.
• Residents are banned from meeting other households (excluding support bubbles) in private homes or gardens, including outside of the affected areas.
• The rule also applies to indoor public venues such as pubs, restaurants and cafes.
• Residents should not visit family or friends in care homes, other than in exceptional circumstances.
• A maximum of 20 people can attend wedding celebrations and receptions in the form of a sit-down meal.
• Bowling alleys, skating rinks, casinos, exhibition centres and close contact services such as eyebrow threading are also prevented from reopening.
In Bolton, extra restrictions apply, including the closure of pubs and restaurants, with takeaway service available only.
All venues are subject to a 10pm to 5am curfew, while care home and hospital visits are tightly restricted.
The police have powers to disperse and or issue fixed penalty fines if up to £3.200.
Social contact restrictions
If you live in one of the affected areas, in order to help prevent the spread of coronavirus you must not:
• host people you do not live with in your home or garden, unless they’re in your support bubble
• meet people you do not live with in their home or garden, whether inside or outside of the affected areas unless they’re in your support bubble
Your household is only the people you live with and any support bubble.
A support bubble is where a household with one adult joins with another household. Households within a bubble can still visit each other, stay overnight, and visit public places together.
Fines
People aged 18 or over can be fined:
* £100 for the first offence, lowered to £50 if paid within 14 days
* £200 for the second offence, then doubling for each further offence up to a maximum of £3,200
The government has also introduced fines for those who hold illegal gatherings of over 30 people.
Holding or being involved in the holding of an illegal gathering an of more than 30 people is an offence, and Police may issue fines of £10,000 to those who break the law.
People can still come inside your home or garden for specific purposes set out in law:
* where everyone in the gathering lives together or is in the same support bubble
* to attend a birth at the mother’s request
* to visit a person who is dying (the visitor can be someone the dying person lives with, a close family member, friend or, if none of those is visiting, anyone else)
* to fulfil a legal obligation
* for work purposes, or for the provision of voluntary or charitable services
* for the purposes of education or training
* for the purposes of childcare provided by a registered provider
* to provide emergency assistance
* to enable one or more persons in the gathering to avoid injury or illness or to escape a risk of harm
* to facilitate a house move
* to provide care or assistance to a vulnerable person
* to continue existing arrangements for access to, and contact between, parents and children where the children do not live in the same household as their parents, or one of their parents.
* Political protest
Greater Manchester Regulations https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2020/828
Bolton Guidance here https://www.gov.uk/guidance/bolton-local-restrictions
and regulations https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2020/974/contents
Oldham Guidance here https://www.gov.uk/guidance/blackburn-with-darwen-oldham-pendle-local-restrictions and regulations https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2020/828
Blackburn Guidance here https://www.gov.uk/guidance/blackburn-with-darwen-oldham-pendle-local-restrictions
and regulations https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2020/822/2020-09-03
Pendleton Guidance here https://www.gov.uk/guidance/blackburn-with-darwen-oldham-pendle-local-restrictions