[MonsoonLady]

There are some exemptions to the new law, which applies both indoors and outdoors

Social gatherings of more than six people will become illegal from Monday, as the government reduces the legal limit from the current 30.

This new lower limit will be formally placed in law, which the government have said will make it easier for police to enforce.

The new rules will apply across England, to all ages and to gatherings both indoors and outdoors.

This will include private homes and gardens, public outdoor spaces and public venues such as pubs and restaurants.

Police will have the power to identify and disperse illegal gatherings of six people or more and failure to comply with an order to disperse will result in a £100 fine. This will then double on each repeat offence up to a total fine of £3,200.

Exemptions
However, there will be exemptions to these new rules and the six-person limit will not apply under the following circumstances:

Where your household or support bubble is larger than six
Gatherings for work purposes
Gatherings for education purposes
For Covid-secure weddings
For Covid-secure Funerals
To take part in Covid-secure organised team sports
More exemptions are expected to be announced before the law changes and will be published on the government website.

The government, along with the Chief Medical Officer and Chief Scientific Advisor have jointly agreed that urgent action is necessary after seeing a dramatic rise in cases.

The new rules follow a Zoom roundtable that the prime minister had with police forces across the country last week.

Officers had expressed their desire for the rules on social contact to be "simplified".

Prime Minister Boris Johnson will be officially announcing the new rules on Wednesday, and is expected to say: "We need to act now to stop the virus spreading. So we are simplifying and strengthening the rules on social contact – making them easier to understand and for the police to enforce.

"It is absolutely critical that people now abide by these rules and remember the basics – washing your hands, covering your face, keeping space from others, and getting a test if you have symptoms."

https://www.examinerlive.co.uk/news/...rings-18901734