These are the full tier-4 restrictions for Preston and Lancashire

A damp looking Friargate in Preston city centre Pic: Tony Worrall

It has been announced today that Preston and Lancashire will be going into tier-4 tonight.

The new restrictions will be in place from Thursday 31 December at one minute past midnight.

We have compiled the full set of restrictions for the new tier-4.

The latest news updates in your area can be seen below

In tier- 4, you must not leave or be outside of your home or garden except where you have a ‘reasonable excuse’

Reasonable excuses include:

Work or volunteering
Essential activities such as shopping
Fulfilling legal obligations such as, buying, selling, letting or renting houses or voting
Education and childcare
Meeting others and care
Exercise and recreation
Medical reasons and compassionate visits
Communal worship and life events

Meeting others safely

Generally, do not meet socially or carry out 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 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 2 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

You cannot meet people in a private garden, unless you live with them or have formed a support bubble with them.

Support and childcare bubbles

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, who has a disability and requires continuous care

Where and when you can meet in larger groups

There are still circumstances in which you are allowed to meet others from outside your household or support bubble in larger groups, but this should not be for socialising and only for permitted purposes:

for work, or providing voluntary or charitable services. This includes picketing outside workplaces. This can include work in other people’s homes where necessary (nannies, cleaners, social care workers providing support to children and families, or tradespeople.)
Where a work meeting does not need to take place in a private home or garden, it should not – for example, although you can meet a personal trainer, you should do so in a public outdoor place
in a childcare bubble (for the purposes of childcare only)
for registered childcare, or for supervised activities for children where this enables a parent to work, seek work, attend education or training, or for respite care
education or training – meaning education related to a formal curriculum or training that relates to work or obtaining work
for arrangements where children do not live in the same household as both their parents or guardians
to allow contact between birth parents and children in care, as well as between siblings in care
for prospective adopting parents to meet a child or children who may be placed with them
to place or facilitate the placing of a child or children in the care of another by social services
for birth partners
to provide emergency assistance, and to avoid injury or illness, or to escape a risk of harm
to see someone who is dying
to fulfil a legal obligation, such as attending court or jury service
for gatherings within criminal justice accommodation or immigration detention centres
to provide care of assistance to someone vulnerable, or to provide respite for a carer
for a wedding or equivalent ceremony in exceptional circumstances and only for up to 6 people
for funerals – up to a maximum of 30 people. Wakes and other linked ceremonial events can continue in a group of up to 6 people
to visit someone at home who is dying, or to visit someone receiving treatment in a hospital, hospice or care home, or to accompany a family member or friend to a medical appointment
for elite sportspeople (and their coaches if necessary, or parents/guardians if they are under 18) to compete and train
to facilitate a house move

See the latest coronavirus cases and information near you

If you break the rules

The police can take action if you meet in larger groups. This includes breaking up illegal gatherings and issuing fines.

You can be given a Fixed Penalty Notice of £200 for the first offence, doubling for further offences up to a maximum of £6,400. If you hold, or are involved in holding, an illegal gathering of over 30 people, the police can issue fines of £10,000.

Travelling within a tier-4 area

You must not leave your home unless you have a reasonable excuse (for example, for work or education purposes).

Any travel should be local, and travelling out of your village, town or the part of a city where you live.

Travelling out of a tier-4 area and travelling into a tier-4 area

You must stay at home and not leave your Tier 4 area, other than for legally permitted reasons such as:

travel to work where you cannot work from home
travel to education and for caring responsibilities
visit or stay overnight with people in your support bubble, or your childcare bubble for childcare purposes
attend hospital, GP and other medical appointments or visits where you have had an accident or are concerned about your health
to provide emergency assistance, and to avoid injury or illness, or to escape a risk of harm (such as domestic abuse)

International travel to or from a Tier 4 area

If you live in a Tier 4 area, you can only travel internationally, or within the UK, where you first have a legally permitted reason to leave home. In addition, you should consider the public health advice in the country you are visiting.

Staying away from home overnight

You cannot leave your home or the place where you are living for holidays or overnight stays unless you have a reasonable excuse for doing so. This means that holidays in the UK and abroad are not allowed.

This includes staying in a second home or caravan, if that is not your primary residence. This also includes staying with anyone who you don’t live with unless they’re in your support bubble.

You are allowed to stay overnight away from your home if you:

are visiting your support bubble
are unable to return to your main residence
need accommodation while moving house
need accommodation to attend a funeral or related commemorative event
require accommodation for work purposes or to provide voluntary services
are a child requiring accommodation for school or care
are homeless, seeking asylum or a vulnerable person seeking refuge
are an elite athlete or their support staff or parent, if the athlete is under 18 and it is necessary to be outside of the home for training or competition

Businesses and venues which must close

non-essential retail, such as clothing and homeware stores, vehicle showrooms (other than for rental), betting shops, tailors, tobacco and vape shops, electronic goods and mobile phone shops, auction houses (except for auctions of livestock or agricultural equipment) and market stalls selling non-essential goods – these venues can continue to be able to operate click-and-collect (where goods are pre-ordered and collected off the premises) and delivery services
hospitality venues such as cafes, restaurants, pubs, bars and social clubs; with the exception of providing food and drink for takeaway (until 11pm), click-and-collect, drive-through or delivery
accommodation such as hotels, hostels, guest houses and campsites, except for specific circumstances, such as where these act as someone’s main residence, where the person cannot return home, for providing accommodation or support to the homeless, or where it is essential to stay there for work purposes
leisure and sports facilities such as leisure centres and indoor gyms, indoor swimming pools, indoor sports courts, indoor fitness and dance studios, indoor riding centres, and indoor climbing walls
entertainment venues such as theatres, concert halls, cinemas, museums and galleries, casinos, amusement arcades, bingo halls, bowling alleys, skating rinks, go-karting venues, indoor play and soft play centres and areas (including inflatable parks and trampolining centres), circuses, fairgrounds, funfairs, zoos and other animal attractions, water parks and theme parks
indoor attractions at venues such as botanical gardens, heritage homes and landmarks must also close, though outdoor grounds of these premises can stay open
personal care facilities such as hair, beauty, tanning and nail salons. Tattoo parlours, spas, massage parlours, body and skin piercing services must also close. These services should not be provided in other people’s homes
community centres and halls must close except for a limited number of exempt activities, as set out below. Libraries can also remain open to provide access to IT and digital services – for example for people who do not have it at home – and for click-and-collect services

Some of these businesses and places will also be permitted to be open for a small number of exempt activities, including:

education and training – for schools to use sports, leisure and community facilities where that is part of their normal provision
childcare purposes and supervised activities for children
hosting blood donation sessions and food banks
to provide medical treatment
for elite sports persons to train and compete (in indoor and outdoor sports facilities), and professional dancers and choreographers to work (in fitness and dance studios)
for training and rehearsal without an audience (in theatres and concert halls)
for the purposes of film and TV filming

Businesses and venues which can remain open

essential retail such as food shops, supermarkets, pharmacies, garden centres, building merchants and suppliers of building products and off-licences
market stalls selling essential retail may also stay open
businesses providing repair services may also stay open, where they primarily offer repair services
petrol stations, automatic (but not manual) car washes, vehicle repair and MOT services, bicycle shops, and taxi and vehicle hire businesses
banks, building societies, post offices, short-term loan providers and money transfer businesses
funeral directors
laundrettes and dry cleaners
medical and dental services
vets and pet shops
animal rescue centres, boarding facilities, and animal groomers (may continue to be used for animal welfare, rather than aesthetic purposes)
agricultural supplies shops
mobility and disability support shops
storage and distribution facilities
car parks, public toilets and motorway service areas
outdoor playgrounds
outdoor gym, pools, sports courts and facilities
golf courses
archery/driving/shooting ranges (outdoors)
outdoor riding centres
places of worship
crematoriums and burial grounds

More information on the new restrictions can be found here.

What do you think about the new tier-4? Let us know in the comments below