I know this is getting boring but is this right?

[SimpleComforts]

I have a social thing booked for next weekend. It was supposed to happen in April and we were encouraged to rebook rather than cancel, which was fine.

There are 10 of us going to a London venue where you get food and drink and do an activity. The venue have assured us the group of 10 is still allowed, but is it? Why?

Separate issue of course about whether it's wise to go.

Snap with a hen do. Apparently it’s okay if we sit at tables no more than 6

TBH I was concerned about that - you know, the anxiety about whether you'll get the fun table However, the venue have said they've reserved an area for the ten of us and it's fine.

I’m quite dubious to be honest. I think it’s breaking the rule of 6 but could it be classed as an organised event? I haven’t read the actual published rule of 6 Covid guidelines. There must be some loophole they are getting round.

I don’t really think it’s best practice though and it’ll probably come back to bite the venue in the bum.

And I did at the fun table

Difficult to say for sure not knowing the activity. I know some party venues are calling themselves ‘organised/team sport’ to try to get round the rules but it’s too soon for it to have been tested to see if they get away with those definitions or not.

No, it’s not allowed as it’s highly likely that these two tables will mix with each other because they are friends. I would report to the local authority environmental health department

It's specifically not allowed for them to "reserve an area for the ten of us", as that would obviously be encouraging interaction between a group greater than six. On another thread this morning someone posted the exact bit of legislation which forbids this - something about the "qualifying group", ie the six.

No not allowed. It specifically says you can’t have multiple tables of 6 for a gathering.

We had a wake today & originally had a room in a pub booked for 25 of us. This was obviously cancelled but 18 of us still went & sat on 3 different tables in a private section of the garden as it happened to be hot today. It was a bit awkward but we found we could chat between tables easily enough & we put up a memory board, donned our masks & stood 2m apart to look at the photos & chat about my Gran. The pre-school aged cousins played together as none of us agree with distancing young children..

You can still have the event but by law, you need to sit at two tables.

Here you go - published today

@Bol87

Wakes are one of the few exceptions specifically mentioned in the law. The rule of 6 applies to pretty much all other social gatherings.

I'm sorry about your gran :-(

If it’s an organised activity, it is probably legal. Basically it seems as long as you pay, you can meet who you like.

I wonder if they have reserved a space big enough to allow everyone from different households to SD from each other.
That said, it does sound as if it's illegal anyway.