Visiting relatives

Can people have visitors in their home?

Advice for visitors will vary depending on where you live.

For people living in Scotland, people cannot currently have visitors from outside their immediate household or extended household. https://www.gov.scot/news/new-measures-to-drive-down-infection-rate/

For people living in England, with exception of those under a local lockdown, the rules are:

• meet in groups of 6 or less
• follow social distancing rules when meeting up
• 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

From 14 September in England it will be against the law to meet people you do not live with in a group larger than 6 (unless you are meeting as a household or support bubble). The police will have the powers to enforce these legal limits, including to issue fines (fixed penalty notice).

There are some exceptions to these rules. More information: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-meeting-with-others-safely-social-distancing/coronavirus-covid-19-meeting-with-others-safely-social-distancing

Please speak to your local team for further guidance.

Support bubbles (England)

Single adult households – adults who live alone – can form a support bubble with one other household of any size. They will be allowed to see each other outside of social distancing rules and will be able to visit each other in their homes.

You are classed as a single-adult household if you live alone – even if you receive support from carers, or if you are a single parent living with your children who are under 18.

From 14 September if you form or continue in a support bubble, you cannot then change your support bubble. It does not have to be the same support bubble you may have been in previously.

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/making-a-support-bubble-with-another-household

Extended households (Scotland)

People who live in different places can form an “extended household” in some circumstances.

If you are an adult and you live alone, or if all the others in your household are under 18, you, any children who live with you, and the members of one other household (of any size) can agree to form an ‘extended household’.

Everyone in the extended household will be treated as if they live in one household – meaning they can spend time together inside each other’s homes and do not need to stay at least 2 metres apart.

If anyone in the household gets symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19) everyone will need to self-isolate and wait for the person with symptoms to be tested.

If the person with symptoms tests positive, all members of their direct household must isolate for 14 days from the start of symptoms.

Can we visit people who live in care homes?

The Government has recently updated its guidance for people who wish to visit other people who live in care homes. Please see https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/visiting-care-homes-during-coronavirus for latest guidance.