As anticipated, Northamptonshire will be escalated to Tier 3 on Boxing Day. This means that villagers will no longer be permitted to meet socially indoors or outdoors with anybody they do not live with or who is not part of a support bubble.

However, you can see friends and family you do not live with (or do not have a support bubble with) in some outdoor public places, in a group of up to 6. This limit of 6 includes children of any age.

These outdoor public places include:

• parks, beaches, countryside accessible to the public, forests
• public gardens (whether or not you pay to enter them)
• allotments
• the grounds of a heritage site
• outdoor sports courts and facilities
• playgrounds

More details can be found about these and other restrictions on the Gov.uk website:

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/tier-3-very-high-alert

Northamptonshire is just one of several counties being escalated into Tier 3. Others include Bristol, Gloucestershire, Somerset, Cheshire and Warrington.

Meanwhile, Cambridgshire along with more of the east and south east of England will enter the toughest Tier 4 restrictions.