Coronavirus: a simple guide to the new rules from September 22

A worker on a PPE assembly lineA worker on a PPE assembly line
A worker on a PPE assembly line
The rules on Covid-19 are getting more strict... and here the News Letter tries to explain in simple terms what this means.

The rules on Covid-19 are getting more strict... and here the News Letter tries to explain in simple terms what this means.

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The rules are made up of a mish-mash of guidance/advice, and legally-enforceable regulations – and both have changed constantly over the past five months.

The most recent guide to rules, as they stood up until today’s announcement, had said the following:

You could gather outdoors at a private dwelling in a group of up to 15 people; but in doing so you should maintain social distancing from people who are not from your household.

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In addition, up to six people were allowed to gather in one home, from a maximum of two different households.

There was meant to be a 15-person limit on any outdoor or indoor events (but this limit ceased to apply if the event met certain criteria, such as having a dedicated organiser and doing a health-and-safety audit).

However, up until today’s announcement, a tighter series of restrictions than those above were applied in certain select postcodes – mainly Belfast, the countryside to the west of the city, Lisburn, an area of rural Armagh, Ballymena, and an area to the north of Ballymena (click here for map).

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These have now been extended to cover the entire Province, taking effect from 6pm tomorrow (September 22).

These restrictions are:

No mixing of households in private dwellings, with exemptions for:

~ Bubbling with one other household;

~ Caring responsibilities including childcare, medical visits, and supported living;

~ Essential maintenance;

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~ And marriage or civil partnerships where one partner is terminally ill.

No more than six people can gather in a private garden from no more than two households.

Children aged 12, and under from those two households, are discounted from this total.

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The new rules do not stop people from going to restaurants or pubs.

In addition, wearing masks in shops and on public transport remains mandatory.

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