Travelling from Tier 3 to Tier 1 for a holiday at Christmas

[Karcheer]

This isn't me before I get flamed, im just interested...

I know a family who go away to a cottage or hotel somewhere in the UK every Christmas, they have a regular extended family but choose to spend it on their own away (which is fine everyone should do what pleases them) including a relative whom is part of their regular covid bubble (who will be alone for Christmas (but doesn't mind)).

This year they live in a Tier 3 area and are going away to stay for a week at christmas (the 5 day christmas bubble thing is in the middle of this period) to a Tier 1 area.

Are they allowed to do this? (I don't think so - but I can honestly say i've no clue what the rules are... I have been living by Tier 3 rules the whole time as I thought this was what I was supposed to do :/ )

If not, would they be allowed to go away for the 5 day bubble days?

Isn't the 5 day bubble thing about "no-one being alone"? So moving the same household from one place to another doesn't achieve this - just spreads the virus about potentially...

Thoughts?

They are legally allowed to travel anywhere in England at any time as the travel restrictions are guidance not law. Morally questionable but legally allowed

As above. Legal, yes. Advisable? debatable.

I think they are selfish arseholes
Many people are having to forego their usual Christmas traditions and arrangements for the greater good why do they think they shouldn’t
As you say them going away for Christmas in their own family unit is not in the spirit of the relaxation and they’re just taking advantage

Are they allowed to do it? Yes.

Should they? That depends on their personal risk factors. Some T3 areas have transmission rates lower than other areas in T1. Some people in T3 have very little contact with anybody else. Some people can go on holiday and not see another person for the time they're away. And vice versa. Judging people on an arbitrary measure like the tiers suggests someone has very limited capability for critical thinking.

If they are gong to be in a cottage away from everyone else, I can't really see the issue. They can't give it to people if they are not going to see anyone. Despite the best efforts of some to convince us of the contrary, the virus does not float about in the air and fly into peoples' houses to infect them. If they are going to see people, that's different.

And will people stop calling everyone selfish. It gets very old. Just because you don't agree with what someone is doing, doesn't make it selfish.

@Hayeahnobut

Are they allowed to do it? Yes.

Should they? That depends on their personal risk factors. Some T3 areas have transmission rates lower than other areas in T1. Some people in T3 have very little contact with anybody else. Some people can go on holiday and not see another person for the time they're away. And vice versa. Judging people on an arbitrary measure like the tiers suggests someone has very limited capability for critical thinking.

They have two school age (senior school) so they definitely see other children.

To me the issue isn't that they are in tier 3, but how much community contact they actually have with others . If people are WFH and have shopping delivered the fact that their area is tier 3 doesn't make them personally a high risk . Additionally within an area there are always some parts where cases are higher than others .

My understanding is that during the 5 day period you can travel to other areas of the country and you can meet with relatives but this shouldn't be in a public restaurant.

Given that these people normally spend Christmas at this particular place it's not as if they've particularly chosen it this year to access a part of the country where more things are open .

So - if the family in question have little contact outside of each other and are staying self catering I wouldn't think it a big deal . If they are frontline NHS and staying in a hotel I would think differently.

We read somewhere, although where now escapes me, that you can but should live as if you're in tier 3. So no going to the pub, no meeting indoors etc. But of course that's utterly uninforceable.