How do they actually tell if you’re dining with only one other household

[Whenismumhome]

Not sure about the England, Wales and Scotland but in Northern Ireland if you are dining out in a restaurant/bar (and I assume it applies to coffee shops too) you are only allowed to dine with six people and it must only be with one other household, e.g if I were to bring my friend I couldn’t bring my sister as my friend lives in a different household to both of us and she’d be there.

Anyway, how do restaurants verify this? I could literally book a table, walk in with 6 people from 3 different households and they’d be none the wiser

Check ID with an address? Not sure

Are you looking to get around the rules?

Thy ru could make each person scan their phone which happened in a restaurant we booked recently.
The police could do a spot check (probably unlikely)
They don’t know, but if people flout the rules we will have a second lockdown, probably over the festive period I imagine.

@Thisisnotnormal69

Are you looking to get around the rules?

No, as I’m not planning on booking a table, however, I’m curious to know how it works.

And yes, if I was to go out for dinner, I wouldn’t be sticking to the “two households at a time” rule

well in England you can meet up in groups of 6 poeple. Any 6, from any number of households, and could be a different mix of 6 every night. However I wasnt able to book at a table recently for my household as there are 7 of us living in the same house (me, dh and 5 teen/tween dc) and no where would accept a table for more than 6 people - they didnt care we were all one household.

Cool, what a responsible citizen you are

Controlling the virus requires cooperation between government and society. Not every rule will be 100% verifiable on every occasion, unless we want to turn into a dictator state. Society has to shoulder some of this.

They ask you, it relies on people being honest. I went out for lunch today and they asked if we were from one household, we said yes (because we are!).

We don't have any way to check, we just have to trust our customers. Just don't break the fucking rules and then you won't ruin someones livelihood by getting them shut down/fined.

The rules in England are any six, not from 2 households.

They’re taking postcodes now aren’t they?

The restaurants local to me ask for your postcode now. I suppose if nothing else it covers them that they've checked its no more than 2 households.

@Thisisnotnormal69

Cool, what a responsible citizen you are

It’s my choice

I just gooogled and couldn't find a rule about only two households? I thought it was just a max of six.

If anyone has a link can they please share it as I was planning to meet some friends tomorrow but won't if it's against the new rules.

I work in a café. We take every person’s individual phone number and we ask them if they’re from one household or support bubble (our area has stronger restrictions). And do you know what, half the people probably lie to us and we can’t do much about it. Even when we query them “are you sure you meet the bubble requirements because we’d get shut down and you’d get a big fine if you didn’t..” they lie. Ie, I asked one lady, as she left, where her accent was from and she told me a place down South. She added she was just up for the weekend visiting her family. Half an hour earlier, on arrival they’d insisted they all lived together.

Taking postcodes is a good idea. I might try that. We’ve just got the scanner check in too, which might help.

Hot choc the one household/bubble thing is for area in stronger lockdown. This is half the problem- it’s different rules every few days in different places.

@HotChoc10

I just gooogled and couldn't find a rule about only two households? I thought it was just a max of six.

If anyone has a link can they please share it as I was planning to meet some friends tomorrow but won't if it's against the new rules.

It’s in Northern Ireland. I live here. It maybe isn’t a rule in other parts of the U.K.

How self important some of these liars must be, to risk getting a restaurant that they presumably enjoy going to, shut down so they can break the rules.

I know @janetmendoza I get no pay if it has to close (I’ve already lost one job this year because of Covid!) but their coffee is more important!

Presume this is a pathetic wind up. Or else this is very tragic

I went out for lunch today when I booked for 3 people she asked if we were from two households and I honestly answered yes. There were no checks when we arrived, I think it would just be too difficult to police and alienate customers if they tried to do that.

In England they don't have to ask for ID, you could tell them anything, really they should enforce ID. But how do elderly people & people without ID manage then, my dm doesn't have a driving licence or passport.

Some people don't have ID.

How does it work if someone is vulnerable and needs help from people from other households? Is that still allowed? I am disabled and sometimes need my parents and/or sisters support.

@EveryPlanetHasAYorkshire

Some people don't have ID.

How does it work if someone is vulnerable and needs help from people from other households? Is that still allowed? I am disabled and sometimes need my parents and/or sisters support.

@EveryPlanetHasAYorkshire if you’re in NI which apparently has this rule then it’s 2 households so you would still be able to have help from someone else from another house, as in total that would be 2 households