Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Find our response to the coronavirus outbreak and how we’re enforcing the social distancing restrictions

On this page you can find:

  • the current social restrictions
  • when you’re allowed to leave your home
  • how to report a potential breach of social restrictions
  • how we’ll enforce the social restrictions
  • how we’ll respond to non-coronavirus incidents
  • what a support bubble is and how you create one
  • information around funerals, weddings, civil partnerships and other religious services

What are the current restrictions?

From Thursday 5 November until Wednesday 2 December, the government has announced new restrictions for people living in England.
The restrictions include:

  • requiring people stay at home, except for specific purposes
  • not allowing you to gather with people you do not live with, except for specific purposes
  • closing non-essential businesses and other venues

When am I allowed to leave my home?

You must stay at home unless you’re:

  • going to school, college, university or other educational places where you’re not learning online
  • providing childcare, or if you’re a child 13 or under moving to another household as part of a childcare bubble
  • going to work where you cannot work from home
  • exercising outdoors or visiting an outdoor public place. You can only do this with the people you live with, with your support bubble, or one person from another household if you’re on your own
  • going to a medical appointment, or have a medical concern/emergency. You can also leave to avoid risk or harm, such as domestic abuse
  • shopping for basic things, such as food and medicine
  • visiting members of a support bubble
  • caring for a vulnerable person

To find out more, visit the government website. There, you can also view information around:

How do I report a potential breach of the social restrictions?

You can report a potential breach of social restrictions via our online form.

How we’ll enforce the social restrictions

Officers and PCSOs will be visible in your community to make sure everybody is following the social distancing restrictions.
The social distancing restrictions apply to everybody. We trust that everyone will follow the advice and work with us to keep you safe.

If a person, gathering, or business is found in breach of the restrictions, we will:

  • talk to them and help them understand the new restrictions
  • explain the new guidance and ask them to comply as soon as possible
  • make it clear that we are dealing with a national health emergency and they must obey
  • reinforce the importance of complying so that their actions and behaviours do not harm others
  • remind them that the measures are here to protect our NHS, our country and in particular the vulnerable

As a last resort, failure to comply will mean we’ll use our powers. We have the power to:

  • disperse gatherings of three or more people who aren’t from the same household/support bubble
  • remove a person from a gathering to their home
  • close any premises which are required to be closed under the legislation
  • issue a fixed penalty notice of £100
  • issue a fixed penalty notice of £200 for second time offenders, doubling on each further repeat offence up to £6,400
  • issue a £10,000 fine for anyone facilitating or organising illegal raves, unlicensed music events, or any other unlawful gathering of more than 30 people
  • If someone does not pay their fixed penalty notice, they could go to court, where magistrates can impose an unlimited fine
  • If someone refuses to comply, they will be acting unlawfully, and we may arrest them where deemed necessary and proportionate in the circumstances.

What’s a support bubble?

A support bubble is a close network, between someone who lives on their own, and another household of any size.

Once the single person joins up with the household, they create the support bubble. This essentially means the single person is part of the household, and can have close contact with other members of the household.

You must follow social distancing guidelines with people outside your bubble. You must also not change who is in your bubble.

There are some exceptions to this though, mainly around shared custody of children, and if carers live with you. 

To find out who can create a support bubble, and the rules around creating one, visit the government website.

Are funerals, weddings, civil partnerships and other religious services allowed to take place?

Funerals can be attended by up to 30 people. Linked ceremonial events, such as stone settings and ash scatterings can be attended by up to 15 people. 

Weddings and civil partnerships will not be allowed to happen, unless someone getting married is seriously ill and not expected to recover. It is also known as a deathbed wedding and they are limited to 6 people.

Places of worship will close, unless they’re used for:

  • funerals
  • broadcasting acts of worship
  • individual prayer
  • childcare or where it is part of a school
  • essential voluntary and public services. This could include blood donations or food banks
  • other allowed activities, such as support groups

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