Could someone clear up the new six person rule please?

[notevenat20]

I thought the new rule was simple but a lot of MN posters are making suggestions like this:

If you have a children’s party for 6 children in the garden and you are inside, that is legal.

Or

If you have your children asleep upstairs and there are 6 adults downstairs that is legal too.

Does anyone knowledgeable know the answer?

It depends where you are op.

If you're in Scotland both of these would be legal, providing the 6 adults are from a max of 2 households but my understanding if you're in England both of theses would be illegal

If you live in Scotland, children under 12 don't count in the 6, so maybe that's where the confusion is coming from? Otherwise, just count how many people you have in your house and if it's more than 6 then you've broken the law. Unless more than 6 actually live there full time obviously.

www.gov.UK, Covid 19 guidance. Clearly set out.

Sorry I should have said it’s about the rules in England.

There are no different rules for in/out or up/down, so the 6 person rule is per location and that includes different parts of the house.

So no you can't have 6 in the garden and you inside nor kids upstairs and 6 people downstairs.

I would think it’s illegal in both instances.

Even if the party is held outside children will still need to use the toilet? The second example is no, illegal, as there are more than 6 in the house regardless of which room they’re in.

Well the party scenario assumes unaccompanied kids, and that they won't need the loo - bit unrealistic!

But I think the kids asleep upstairs one is ok?

Why can’t all of the UK just have ONE easy rule. The 6 rule applies but in Scotland it’s slightly different, for example!

But you could, as I understand it, have a 'staggered' party. So however many guests to make up the six then they leave and new guests replace them.

You can have different people in and out of your house all day long as long as there are no more than 6 are there at the same time.

So does that mean the maximum number of mums who can meet up for a breastfeeding support group is now 3? Because each one comes along with a baby who counts as a separate person?? Pity the poor woman with twins, she can only ever meet up with one other mum at a time...

@ThroughThickAndThin01

You can have different people in and out of your house all day long as long as there are no more than 6 are there at the same time.

But the updated guidance does say:-

"limit how many different people you see socially over a short period of time"

So a steady stream all day would be against the guidance.

If you are used to having dozens of people every day then you would be limiting it. And that’s guidance anyway, not law?

FFS, there is nothing to clear up, in England both of the OPs scenarios are illegal. Full stop.

The rule may be illogical, irritating, ridiculous, whatever, but it is not confusing. If there are six bodies, regardless of age or size, inside the boundary of your property, regardless of number of rooms and including any garden, then that is your maximum. Six. 1,2,3,4,5,6. Easy.

@EsmereldaMargaretNoteSpelling

FFS, there is nothing to clear up, in England both of the OPs scenarios are illegal. Full stop.

The rule may be illogical, irritating, ridiculous, whatever, but it is not confusing. If there are six bodies, regardless of age or size, inside the boundary of your property, regardless of number of rooms and including any garden, then that is your maximum. Six. 1,2,3,4,5,6. Easy.

Yes quite. I hate it, but it is easy. The easiness of it was why it was bought in. The number 6 whether inside or out and regardless of who:- from any household, friends or relatives.

Does it really say "within the boundaries of your property"?

Just to take it to a silly extreme, imagine you owned a 120 acre site and a house on this land. Is it 6 people in total anywhere on your property inside or out?

@notevenat20

Does it really say "within the boundaries of your property"?

Just to take it to a silly extreme, imagine you owned a 120 acre site and a house on this land. Is it 6 people in total anywhere on your property inside or out?

I think that's the case, yes. It's 6 people total. So even at Buckingham Palace, they are limited to 6. Otherwise, they'd say '6 per room'.

I was wondering about totally self contained annexes within the property boundaries. Could there be two sets of 6?

Because if you owned a block of flats that would be multiple occupancy not one household.

I think that's the case, yes. It's 6 people total. So even at Buckingham Palace, they are limited to 6. Otherwise, they'd say '6 per room'.

I meant the grounds really separately from the house. Not that this affects me but what about the cottage the groundsman has on your estate :)?

notevenat20 think that’d be ok as grounds man would be there for work?

It's 6 for social purposes not 6 bodies. Carers for example would be exempt.

notevenat20 think that’d be ok as grounds man would be there for work?

Phew :)

Wales is going to be max of 6 people from your extended household (made up of 4 households) but the 6 people can only ever be from this bubble. Kids under 11 don’t count.
Up to 30 people from any household can meet up outdoors - not sure if under 11s count for this?!!

So in England MIL can have 6 random people for the morning with a different 6 in the afternoon and a different 6 in the evening but here in wales we can only have another 2 from our bubble at a time even though the bubble is all mixing with each other anyway!

In that case if you have a footpath across the land you'd have a problem!