With Christmas Day fast approaching on Friday, the UK government has made amendments to the travel rules across England.
This now means that the tier you live in dictates where you can travel.
In what is a bid to curb the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) and the “new variant” detected, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced this past weekend that the initially-announced plan – which allowed up to three households to form a ‘Christmas Bubble’ between 23rd – 27th December – will now be reduced to just a single date – 25th December.
It also comes as all of London and other parts of the South East of England have now been placed into Tier 4 restrictions, which has put a significant halt on travel and Christmas plans.
Residents of all tiers however have been told by the UK government that: “You should stay local and avoid travelling outside of your local area, meaning your village or town, or part of a city, where possible. People should continue to travel for reasons such as work, education, medical attention or caring responsibilities.”
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But for one day, these rules will be lifted to allow for households to meet to celebrate the festivities.
Those in some tiers will be allowed to travel to other parts of the UK, but this is subject to which tier the area they live in is under.
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Here’s everything you need to know.
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Tier 1 & Tier 2
Three households can still meet up to celebrate Christmas on 25th December.
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This means that the current Tier 2 and Tier 3 restrictions – which prevent people from meeting indoors with those from outside their household – will be scrapped for 24 hours on Christmas Day only, however residents in these tiers cannot see anyone from a Tier 4 area.
All Christmas bubbles must be exclusive.
This means that if three separate households meet up on Christmas Day, none of the groups can then see anyone else from other households, however the government says you should think very carefully about the risks and only form a Christmas bubble if you feel you absolutely need to.
Wherever possible, residents are encouraged to discuss alternatives to meeting up in person.
Residents of Tier 3 locations or lower who choose to form a Christmas bubble (of up to three households), are encouraged by the government and health professionals to carefully consider the risks of travelling at all.
If you live in an area with the highest level of restrictions, you should avoid travelling to lower prevalence areas where possible, but should you decide you do need to travel, you are asked to make travel plans in advance – including booking for public transportation services – to enable you and others to travel safely, and plan your outward and return journeys carefully.
You must only travel and return on Christmas Day.
Tier 4
You must not visit or leave a Tier 4 area in order to see others at any point during the Christmas period.
Households in Tier 4 areas will not be allowed to mix – except for already-formed support bubbles – and people are only permitted to meet one person from another household in outdoor public spaces.
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Restrictions will not be relaxed on Christmas Day.
Should anybody be found breaking the rules in a Tier 4 location, the police can take action against you.
This includes breaking up illegal gatherings and issuing fines. You can be given a Fixed Penalty Notice of £200 for the first offence, doubling for further offences up to a maximum of £6,400, and if you hold, or are involved in holding, an illegal gathering of over 30 people, the police can issue fines of up to £10,000.
Travelling into Greater Manchester
As announced in a joint statement issued by Greater Manchester’s ten directors of public health yesterday, anyone who has travelled to Greater Manchester from Tier 4 areas – or Wales – for Christmas is being told to self-isolate for at ten days.
Anyone arriving to the city-region is urged to remain in whichever house they are staying at for that period, starting from Saturday 19th December.
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They are being warned not to have visitors over that time, including on Christmas Day, although people in the same house do not need to self-isolate unless anyone develops symptoms.
The UK government has ultimately advised that the safest way to celebrate Christmas will be to do so with your own household in your own home.
Scotland has banned all travel in and out of the country – meaning Christmas bubbles can only be formed within the Scottish borders – but Wales has allowed cross-border travel to meet with households in Christmas bubbles, however this will be limited by the fact that you will need to leave and return to your home on Christmas Day.
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For the latest information, guidance and support during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in the UK, please do refer to official sources at gov.uk/coronavirus.
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Carl Froch slams ‘pathetic’ John Fury after bust-up at Darren Till press conference
Danny Jones
Former fighter Carl Froch has branded boxing patriarch John Fury “pathetic” following the chaotic scenes at the recent Darren Till press conference.
‘Big’ John was at the centre of some pre-bout bedlam earlier this week after tempers flared during the presser between his son Tommy Fury and his next opponent, Darren Till.
For anyone who didn’t see it, a reaction from the Fury father following a lengthy foul-mouthed exchange sparked a massive on-stage brawl, requiring both parties to be separated and the face-off cut short.
Offering his thoughts on the incident, the ex-middleweight and multi-time champion called out the 59-year-old for what he now says is just the “usual pathetic childish behaviour from a grown man.”
Carl Froch back in 2010, four years before his retirement.‘Big’ John seeing red at the Fury vs Till press conference.Credit: Pasi (via Wikimedia Commons)/Fight Hub TV (via YouTube screenshot)
Speaking to sports media and betting company, Action Network, Froch said: “Darren Till did have a lot to say and he was very vocal but at the end of the day it’s not about him, it’s about Darren Till and Tommy Fury so why is Big John Fury, the fighting man, getting involved?…
“Has he been sacked by Tyson Fury? Did Tyson tell him to f*****g do one and now he’s with Tommy Fury trying to get some of the limelight? I don’t know but same old s***. Darren Till totally wrote him off.
Froch went on to say of Fury junior – who has flirted with the idea of an exhibition match with the retired British, Super Middleweight, Commonwealth and WBC champ in the past – “For me, I don’t give it any credibility but when he mentions my name and puts my name in the mix, I’m obligated to respond.
“It’s like Jake Paul. He doesn’t like the way I give Jake Paul stick because I’m honest. He’s not a fighter or a pro boxer, he’s a YouTuber, TikTok dancer and content creator […] All of these guys like Jake Paul and ‘Big’ John Fury – when they start talking bull***t, I just tell it how it is, give my honest opinion and sit back to watch the parade go by because they all get upset.”
The 47-year-old also speculated that there is a serious possibility that older brother Tyson has dismissed his dad from his current entourage, at least during media events, noting that he isn’t helping promote fights by “headbutting children at press conferences” as we saw before the Fury vs Usyk fight.
“That kid he headbutted didn’t even look like he could have a shave”, added Froch. “He might’ve been a young man, but he picked on the smallest person there and dropped the headbutt on him. It’s not the kind of behaviour you want to see, it’s bad for boxing.
Offering his final thoughts on the ever-controversial John Fury, Froch signed off by saying: “At the end of the day, he is a guy who wants some attention. He’s a man who has never achieved anything. His son Tyson Fury is obviously very good, he’s a top fighter and we know what he’s all about.”
As for 25-year-old Tommy, he takes on fellow North West fighter Darren Till at the Co-op Live arena early next year. You can find out more HERE.
Tommy Fury vs Darren Till press conference descends into foul-mouthed chaos
Danny Jones
The first press conference ahead of Tommy Fury vs Darren Till was held on Tuesday evening and it didn’t take long for the whole thing to descend into absolute bedlam.
Having only been confirmed on Sunday, Fury vs Till will be a homecoming bout for the Wythenshawe-born fighter who is set to headline the first-ever boxing match at Manchester’s Co-op Live arena.
With the date set for 18 January, the pre-fight build-up and media frenzy are growing fast and things have already come to ahead in just the first meeting between the two fighters in London this week.
Clearly sharing plenty of bad blood already, while Tommy and Till were engaging in the usual fighting talk, the family patriarch, John Fury, decided to interject and it was at this point that things boiled over.
‼️ Tommy Fury vs Darren Till press conference descends into chaos as Till tells John Fury: "Shut up, you haven't been seen since Oleksandr Usyk battered Tyson."
As you can see, amidst the various insults being thrown around regarding intelligence, boxing ability, Tommy’s older brother Tyson being “battered by [Oleksandr] Usyk”, ‘Big John’ then launches a bottle of water across the table at Till, sparking a hot-tempered on-stage skirmish.
The lengthy exchange features as many expletives as you could imagine, with 31-year-old Darren Till also threatening that he will “bladder” both Tommy and his more established heavyweight sibling Tyson, labelling the entire Fury family “shithouses” as they walk out of the London press conference.
A mixed martial artist by trade who has competed at both welterweight and middleweight in the UFC, Till assured that even if the boxing match isn’t going his way on the night, he will kick [him] square in [the] face”, adding that he’s a “proper fighter” and that Tommy, on the other hand, has no power.
YouTube turned musician and occasional boxer, KSI – the founder of the Misfits promotion who is putting on the event and who Fury beat back in October last year – can also be heard whooping from centre stage and shouting, “Get your tickets!”
Even after the mini-brawl is separated, the foul-mouthed back and forth continues for some time. You can see another angle here:
Press conference aftermath 🤯@darrentill2 was going IN on the Fury’s 😳
This isn’t the first time things have boiled over at a Fury press conference; in fact, it’s not even the first time John Fury, 59, has found himself in the very eye of the storm.
Meanwhile, the youngest Fury son is preparing first his first fight in over a year, having nearly joined this year’s I’m a Celeb lineup instead.
Tickets for the now highly-anticipated boxing match at Co-op Live, just the second combat sports event to have been held at the arena, are on sale now – you can grab yours HERE. It’s going to be a feisty one.
The Manc -
22nd December 2020 
