To think the new 'rule of six' could increase transmission rather than decrease it

[IDSNeighbour]

I live on my own. Most of my friends are in 1 or 2 person households, very few families.

We have just started to wind down any attempts at social lives for the winter because it's getting too cold and dark to do much outside in the evenings.

But now we can meet in groups of 6 inside - even if we are from 6 different households.

Given that most spread is among the 18-40 age group at the moment, isn't allowing 6 single adults to mingle all winter going to cause far more virus spread than allowing 2 families only who total 8-10 people to meet? Especially with universities starting?

I'm not doing anything for a 2-3 weeks anyway because I'm a teacher and want to see what the potential effect of schools is before inflicting myself on my non teacher, non parent friends (!) But I'm certainly now hoping to see friends over the winter whereas I didn't really think that was going to happen before.

You're getting confused between legislation and guidance. Legislation before said no more than 30, although the guidance was considerably less and limited households etc, it wasn't legally enforceable, this is.

I'm not confused. I know the law was 30 but in reality hardly anyone was having indoor gatherings of 30 people (or not people I know anyway). Most people in my experience were treating the guidance and the law as the same and seeing the 30 as a legal 'get out' built in for things like weddings.

I just think that most younger single/coupled people without children who have met in groups of 6 outdoors all summer will now just transfer indoors whereas before this new announcement we would have had to stop meeting in groups (maybe not legally but to follow guidance which I believe the majority of sensible people do). This to me seems more likely to cause a problem nationwide than 2 families of 4 meeting.

I agree. If two households of 7 people meet, the virus would spread to those 7 people and no further (providing they weren't socialising or working with other people). If 6 people all from different households meet, then the virus can spread to all of those 6 households, including the members not at the social event, so to potentially 12, 24, who knows how many people.

I see your point @IDSNeighbour

If it’s 6 from different households you are still supposed to SD meeting indoors or outdoors

Gov.uk
When seeing friends and family you do not live with you should:

follow social distancing rules
limit how many different people you see socially over a short period of time
meet people outdoors where practical: meeting people outdoors is safer than meeting people indoors because fresh air provides better ventilation
Limits on the number of people you can see socially are changing. From Monday 14 September, when meeting friends and family you do not live with you must not meet in a group of more than 6 indoors or outdoors

Whereas most families now can't meet one other family. It's incredibly restrictive and I don't think justified.

It is a major intrusion into the basic right to a family life.

I can go to the pub with 5 other people from 5 households.
I can't go out with another family of 4.

TBH on the handful of occasions I have met with people it's been outside which automatically slashes the risk of transmission. This will force more people inside to reduce the chances of being spotted and grassed up.

Yes, good point re the distancing (I can't call it social distancing!) But that's second nature to those of us who live alone by now (seriously, a little girl at school hugged me today and I flinched - it felt so odd and wrong to be touched by someone) yet transmission is still on the up.

Whereas most families now can't meet one other family. It's incredibly restrictive and I don't think justified

Yes, it does seem unfair. Part of me thinks, 'well families have had a bit of normality, now it's our turn' but I'm not convinced now is the right time for normality and it's hard to be faced with that temptation. I would love to go to an indoor cafe with my friends, just have a film and drinks night at home or even go on holiday with them. But if we need to reduce our social contact this is a strange time to open up the world for 1 and 2 person households (who probably naturally spend a lot less time in their houses and more time around other people than families do),

The thing I find let’s the whole thing down is 6 people could meet one day and then each could meet with a different set of 6 the next day.

They’ve probables weighed up it up and found that the risk of transmission is offset by the improved ability to break up large gatherings (which are definitely common in my area anyway...)

Pixxie - that's true but the same applied when families could meet another family inside. A family of 4 could meet a different family of 5 every day if they wanted to.

Redolent - yes, that's a good point. Thinking for universities too - maybe they thought they'll give students a small carrot in being able to have small house gatherings in the hope that the students will respect the rules - not convinced though!

We are a family of more than 6, so in theory now no one can come visit us. Are we going to listen? No. We will just be sensible, but I refuse to not see any family indefinently.