Tier 3 holidays: What London, Essex & Hertfordshire's new rules mean for staycations
TIER 3 restrictions have made their way to more parts of the south just one week before Christmas. With many Britons gearing up for festive staycations, what do the new rules mean for their holiday plans?
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Many Britons may have been eagerly anticipating festive staycations this year in the lead up to Christmas. However, amid Boris Johnsons "tier system" many plans have been suddenly cancelled.
The Government has since announced three more regions of the UK which will be brought under the tightest level of restrictions.
London, the south and west of Essex, and the south of Hertfordshire will now be placed under tier 3, meaning many hospitality businesses are forced to close.
This includes hotels and restaurants.
What's more, there is also tightened guidance on where and for what purpose Britons should be travelling out of their residential area.
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What are tier 3 restrictions?
Tier 3 is classified as "high risk" based on the number of coronavirus cases confirmed in an area, as well as the demand for care in hospitals.
Residents of a tier 3 area "must not" meet indoors with anybody they do not live with or are part of a "support bubble" with for "social" reasons.
According to the Government, this means in "private homes" and "other indoor venues such as pubs and restaurants".
People must also not meet anyone they do not live with in private outdoor spaces.
However, the Government is allowing people to meet "friends and family you do not live with in some outdoor places in a group of up to six. This limit of six includes children of any age."
Outdoor places where meetings can take place include parks, beaches, countryside accessible to the public, forests, public gardens, outdoor sports courts and playgrounds.
Hospitality venues, including pubs and restaurants, must close unless they can provide a take-away service.
Theatres, cinemas and other indoor entertainment venues must also close.People are encouraged to work from home and reduce travel where they can.
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Will hotels stay open?
Sadly, hotels must close for commercial reasons if they are in a tier 3 area.
According to the rules set out on the Government website: "Accommodation such as hotels, B&Bs, campsites, holiday lets and guest houses must close."
Accommodation businesses may only remain open for specific purposes including to help people who are moving houses, for medical purposes or for work purposes.
Hotels in tier 2 and tier 1 areas, however, will remain open for people within those areas.Britons who have holidays planned which are now at risk should contact their hotel to discuss the options available to them.
Most hotels are offering refunds or the opportunity to rebook at a later date.
Can I go ahead with my holiday plans in a different area?
There are currently no legal restrictions stopping you from travelling between tiers, although, the government is urging people not to move to or from higher tiers.
If people do find they need to visit an area which is in a lower tier, the Government's says they should follow the advice of the higher tier from which they have left.
If they need to visit a higher tier, they should follow the rules of the higher tier.
The government website reads: “People should try to avoid travelling outside the ‘Very High’ area they are in, or entering a ‘Very High’ area, other than for things like work, education, accessing youth services, to meet caring responsibilities or if they are in transit.”
Can I holiday with friends and family I do not live with?
Sadly, under both tiers 2 and 3, Britons are banned from spending time indoors with people they do not live with.
This means holidays with people outside of your household can not go ahead.
For people in tier 1, however, they can still go ahead with their holiday plans but the "rule of six" applies.