The Government is considering if it can safely allow an expanded definition of “household” to allow people to reconnect with close family members, as "careful steps" are taken to ease the coronavirus lockdown.
A new document, published just before Boris Johnson is due to deliver a Commons statement, said one household may in future be allowed to join up with one other as a way of easing the long-term restrictions on people’s lives.
The published "road-map" follows the Prime Minister's broadcast last night, in which he launched a three level alert system alongside a new slogan - "stay alert, control the virus, save lives".
People being able to link up with one other household is known as a "bubble"; the document also states people should wear face coverings in some settings.
Here's what we know so far about widening your social circle whilst maintaining social distancing.
What exactly is a 'bubble' of people?
Government scientific advisers have been asked to look at the model going forward as England gets set to live with social distancing measures in the long-term.
The new document says household "bubbles" could allow the isolated more social contact, and reduce the loneliness and social harms of the current restrictions while limiting virus spread.
This could also allow two households to share childcare duties, freeing up more people to return to work, it adds, although the potential effects of this on transmission rates are to be examined.
The proposed idea is based on a New Zealand government model of household “bubbles”.
The NZ government guidance says a “bubble” is a group of people you can have contact with, and aside from an immediate household, it can be extended to include close family, caregivers, or to support isolated people.
The guidance advises to keep the bubble as local as possible, to keep it small, and to consider the risks to any vulnerable people within the bubble group.
In addition, the Government says it is also examining ways of allowing small weddings to go ahead with people gathering in slightly larger groups.
The document says: “Over the coming weeks, the Government will engage on the nature and timing of the measures in this step, in order to consider the widest possible array of views on how best to balance the health, economic and social effects.”
