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Original poster

Tier 4 - can I form a support bubble and go stay with my parents?

425 replies

yellowtail1 · 19/12/2020 16:49

I live in London with my DH and our 10 week old baby. Can we go and stay with my parents (who live in a tier 2 area) over Christmas by forming a support bubble and if so, how long could we stay with them for? Sorry if this is a stupid question - my head is all over the place and I’m just so confused. Can anyone help?

OP posts:
Thread gallery
8
ineedaholidaynow · 19/12/2020 17:19

Would you be using them for support at other times or do you have other friends/relatives near you who you might want to have support from at a later date? You can't chop and change your support bubbles

delishdelosh · 19/12/2020 17:20

MissLucyEyelesbarrow

Lifeline is an interesting term. Are you happy putting them - and you - at increased risk of infection?

Yes, yes I am. My mental health has been awful since having my baby and frankly my risk to him and my family was much higher than the risk of the virus.
For other people this won't be the case. But consider other people are in different circumstances to you and have different decisions to make.

Hatscats · 19/12/2020 17:21

Yep! Child under 1 - you can form a support bubble!

Lucked · 19/12/2020 17:21

No tier level has ever affected support bubbles, they don’t talk about them much but when you look in the details of restrictions they are always exempt. Other people don’t realise this so you spend a lot of time explaining yourself. Our family is in a support bubble with SIL who lives in another country of the UK so we have had to read lots of the small print especially when travel restrictions have been in place but we have always been fine.

Username7521 · 19/12/2020 17:22

You can be in a support bubble with your parents but you cannot travel outside your tier.
I understand how hard it is, I’m in London and have flights booked to see family tomorrow but that’s all cancelled now.
Sorry.

Original poster
yellowtail1 · 19/12/2020 17:22

OP is entitled to form a support bubble, that is clear. There are no restrictions on where that bubble needs to be - the wording says "local wherever possible" but it is not mandatory.

So yes, OP, you can travel to your parents and be tested as a single household

@Violetroselily thanks. Do you know how long we’d be allowed to stay with them - would it be Christmas Day only? We were planning to do five days before today’s announcement. Sorry again for the stupid questions - my head is spinning.

OP posts:
ComDummings · 19/12/2020 17:24

Yes you have a baby you can form a support bubble and travel

FuckeryOmbudsman · 19/12/2020 17:25

@Crazycatlady83

For all those stating they can’t travel out of tier 4, Boris said that it didn’t effect support bubbles so that’s incorrect. For those saying Op is only doing it for Christmas - having a baby is bloody hard (as I’m sure the majority of posters know) Having a baby during a pandemic is probably 1000% harder. The baby is only 10 weeks - maybe OP has been “hanging on for Christmas”, maybe she didn’t know about support bubbles.

If Boris didn’t want people to travel for support bubbles, he should have made them the rulez. He didn’t so, Op can do it.

OP do what think is best for you and your family. We aren’t walking in your shoes

People aren't saying 'can't', they're saying 'shouldnt' and that's not the same

Yes, you can have support bubble an hour away, but that's not going to offer much support, is it?

But it is going to let you break the embargo on travelling outside tier 4, and to make a Christmas visit.

Remember Vallence's parting message 'act as if you're infectious'

PurpleDaisies · 19/12/2020 17:26

There are no limits on how long support bubbles can stay in each other’s houses.

Did you watch the press conference? Particularly Chris Whitty’s advice to people considering travelling?

I really wouldn’t do this.

Grenlei · 19/12/2020 17:27

Your support bubble doesn't have to be local. I'm in a bubble with my DP who lives several hours away (in a tier 2 area). He will still be coming here for Christmas as it's been stated that support bubbles are not affected by the new restrictions.

So you can travel into or out of Tier 4 if it is support bubble related (or for care, work etc).

Elephant4 · 19/12/2020 17:27

Who is going to stop you OP? Seriously. Are they going to be policing this?

No one is going to stop you.

Violetroselily · 19/12/2020 17:28

@yellowtail1

OP is entitled to form a support bubble, that is clear. There are no restrictions on where that bubble needs to be - the wording says "local wherever possible" but it is not mandatory.

So yes, OP, you can travel to your parents and be tested as a single household

@Violetroselily thanks. Do you know how long we’d be allowed to stay with them - would it be Christmas Day only? We were planning to do five days before today’s announcement. Sorry again for the stupid questions - my head is spinning.

My original post should say treated as a single household, not tested

There is no restriction on how long you can stay with them, you are not bound by the original 5 day Christmas Bubble rules.

There is alot of misinformation on this thread. The support bubble rules have been very simple since they were first introduced, they are agnostic of tier and location. The only change was the broadening of scope recently.

Merry Christmas to you and your family

Dddccc · 19/12/2020 17:28

You can not leave your area after midnight simple are you really willing to put your parents lives at risk and other people

afrikat · 19/12/2020 17:29

@yellowtail1
If you are a support bubble then I believe you are exempt from other rule, ie the one day Christmas rule and the travelling outside of your tier (I think)
So technically today's announcement shouldn't change what you were already planning
This assumes that you are a proper support bubble and neither of you have 'bubbled' with anyone else

OverTheRainbow88 · 19/12/2020 17:30

@rainbowunicorn

You are wrong. Please read up on the current guidelines before telling others the wrong thing.

Those with a baby under 1 (single or not) can form an exclusive support bubble with one other household

Grenlei · 19/12/2020 17:31

@Dddccc that's not right, you can leave tier 4 for limited reasons, and one of those is visiting your support bubble.

ComDummings · 19/12/2020 17:31

OMG so much bollocks on this thread. OP has a young baby and can form a support bubble. It doesn’t have to be local. She can travel to her parents and a support bubble is treated as one household so she can stay there as long or as often as she likes. The new tier 4 does NOT overrule support bubbles. I swear some people want everyone to be miserable and make up such bollocks.

EmmanuelleMakro · 19/12/2020 17:31

If you have two cars maybe drive separately and have your story straight if you are stopped.

Violetroselily · 19/12/2020 17:33

To those posters suggesting that it needs to be local in order to actually be supportive - what is your logic?

My bubble are 50 miles away. Staying with them for weekends/weeks off work has been a godsend for me. I dont need someone round the corner from me for support, I need my family that I can spend real time with for a prolonged period.

Hotpinkangel19 · 19/12/2020 17:33

I hope you aren't coming into my area, just spread it around because you can? How selfish.

Chloemol · 19/12/2020 17:35

You can, but under T4 you should not really travel outside the area. And be honest you are only forming this bubble to meet up, otherwise you would have done it when first allowed

Just don’t go and possibly take the virus with you

FuckeryOmbudsman · 19/12/2020 17:35

It's the straight difference between what you can and what you should do.

The concession for support bubble for those with a DC age under 1 exists, but it is not meant to be the case that all those in tier 4 with an infant can have their Christmas bubble under another name.

It's not just what's legal, but also what's right.

sillysaussage · 19/12/2020 17:36

Yes, you have a baby under one so can form a support bubble - you could go tonight if you wanted for however long you wanted.

OllietheOwl · 19/12/2020 17:40

FGS there are some heartless people on this thread. There’s no “support test” which you have to pass to be able to form a support bubble. The rules are quite clear, if you have a baby under 1yr old you can form a bubble. It doesn’t matter if you’re full of the joys of motherhood or in the midst of PND, if you qualify you qualify.
OP, Boris has said that Tier 4 doesn’t affect support bubbles. Having said that, i’d still take extra precautions before travelling to a lower Tier area and once you arrive at your parents, put your feet up and don’t go out.
I will be doing the same next week with my family inc DS (10 months).

BeccaE · 19/12/2020 17:40

OP I am in a similar situation. 11 week old baby in tier 4 and suffering from post natal depression (not the worst kind but not great). Only difference is my parents are in a tier 4 area (not the same area unfortunately).

To those saying we should form support bubbles locally - that would be great but isn’t an option open to everyone. I have friends locally but they are all working and none have kids so they can’t offer the kind of support family can and none close enough to support with depression issues. No family less than 1-1.5 hours away.

Christmas was the only thing I was looking forward to, couldn’t care less that it’s Christmas but being able to see my family and get a few days help with the baby is a lifeline.

We’ll have to wait and see what the guidelines say but until they explicitly say that bubbles are cancelled I’m still hoping to travel.