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Family and friends can gather up to three times over the festive period, providing everyone abides by the ‘rule of ten’.
The Government has announced its guidance for get-togethers over Christmas and New Year - as it seeks to allow some seasonal cheer while trying to stop the spread of coronavirus.
In new guidelines covering 23 December to 5 January, the Government sticks to its rule of no indoor gatherings of more than ten people and no outdoor gatherings of more than 20.
However, gatherings of between six and ten people from multiple households - for example, grandparents spending time with children and grandchildren - can only happen up to three times over the two-week period.
Pictured: Islanders should only attend gatherings of six to ten people on three occasions over the festive period.
This might be Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Eve. If it is, then gatherings couldn’t take place on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Day.
There must not be more than one gathering of six to ten in a single day, so New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, for example, can’t be treated as a single event if people leave and come back. However, it will be classed as a single gathering if people sleep over.
Smaller groups of up to five - say, a neighbour coming around for a cup of tea - can meet more than once a day and they are not bound by the three-time gathering limit, however.
The Government has decided to scrap plans to introduce bubbles after concluding that it was incompatible with its existing ‘rule of ten’.
Pictured: There are no restrictions on meetings of smaller groups of five, though islanders are being encouraged to minimise this type of meet-up.
This new guidance, therefore, doesn’t stipulate how many households can be in a gathering, however it is recommended that this number is kept as low as possible.
Children aged under three will not be counted in gathering numbers, and gatherings for the purposes of ‘formal religious worship’ and organised support for vulnerable people will be limited to 20 people. These activities will not be included within the three-time gathering limit.
Funerals will be limited to 20 people indoors over the festive fortnight.
Throughout the festive period, islanders are also being asked to keep a list of their contacts.
Chief Minister John Le Fondré said: “I appreciate that this will not be the Christmas some of us are used to celebrating but, in the circumstances of this challenging year, we are incredibly lucky to be able to celebrate together in this way at all.
“I am asking islanders to socialise in very small groups over the festive period and to only plan three special occasions with their wider family and friends, safely.
“The three-time limit is there to protect the more vulnerable members of our families and our island. Without these limitations, the spread of covid-19 could prove fatal to those we love. We want to protect the most vulnerable and the impact of uncontrolled gatherings would see our number of active cases rise exponentially."
Pictured: Attending a church service won't count towards the three-gathering limit.
He continued: “I hope islanders can find the willingness, responsibility and commitment to enjoy this Christmas and New Year with their loved ones and those closest to them, with the underlying duty that we must all act with their interests in mind.”
The Minister for Health and Social Services, Deputy Richard Renouf said: “Christmas is a time we, as a community, can show compassion and consideration for one another by following this guidance, to maintain the health and relative freedoms we so closely value.
“It is a time to quietly reflect on the year we have had. The year that has changed so much for so many of us. It is not a time to turn back on everything we have been through and risk losing control of this virus. Regrettably, those who find themselves in isolation over the festive period, must remain in isolation."
Children whose parents live apart will be able to see both of them as normal, although they are included in the ‘rule of ten’ if they are aged over three.
Video: Last night's press conference on the festive guidance.
An order making the ‘rule of ten’ and other measures a legal requirement will be signed today, although the ‘three-gathering limit’ will only remain an unenforceable guideline, as it was not part of the original legislation which politicians agreed two weeks ago.
However, at a press conference on Thursday night, Health Minister Richard Renouf advised islanders to contact the police if they saw households breaking the rules.
”It is not telling tales; it is acting responsibly to protect the most vulnerable in our island,” he said.
The Minister added that he hoped that the number of active cases - which, as of last night, stood at 630, an increase of 28 on the day before - would start to come down in the next few days as last Friday’s closure of pubs, restaurants and hotels took effect.
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