The UK government has now published the official guidance for residents ahead of the Christmas period.
This includes the confirmation of which festive events and traditions are permitted.
It comes after it was confirmed last week that people in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland will be allowed to meet over Christmas, forming ‘Christmas bubbles’ with up to three households during a five-day period, and permitting travel between tiers and borders from 23rd – 27th December.
This Christmas, families and friends across the UK will be allowed to form a bubble of up to three households.
In the extensive guidance document published yesterday to the gov.uk website, the government advises that Santa’s grottos will be allowed in all tiers if they are in venues that can open, but necessary social distancing must be in place, and performances by school pupils, such as nativity plays and other seasonal events, can also take place within existing school bubbles, but should avoid mixing across groups.
Carol singing or carol services can take place if all attendees follow advice in the suggested principles of safer singing and guidance for the Performing Arts developed by an expert group coordinated by Public Health England.
This applies to both professional and amateur choirs.
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Those performing or rehearsing in a professional capacity, or as part of a supervised activity for under 18s, are not limited in number and do not have to adhere to gathering limits but should still follow the performing arts guidance.
Geograph / David Dixon
Guidance on a number of other events differs depending on tiers.
It has been confirmed that Greater Manchester will enter into Tier 3 from 0.01am on Wednesday 2nd December and more information regarding restrictions can be found here.
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People in all tiers will also be able to attend places of worship, but the rules on who you can meet there will depend on your tier, and it is crucial to note that from 2nd December, the rules on who you can meet with in bars, pubs and restaurants will depend on your tier, and between 23rd and 27th December, the rules on who you can meet in those settings will not change.
The same applies to who you can meet with in shops – with the rules still not set to change between 23rd and 27th December – however, the rules may be different for indoor shops and open air shops, such as Christmas markets or Christmas tree markets.
This is again dependent on the three tiered system.
Further guidance for was also provided on attending light switch-on ceremonies, celebrating New Years eve, going to work and education settings, childcare, visiting relatives in care homes, and travel in the UK and abroad, among other areas.
The Christmas guidance states that rules will be back in place by New Year’s Eve, with the government reinforcing that Christmas bubbles will no longer apply.
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You can read the Guidance for the Christmas Period in full here.
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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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Liam Gallagher bites back after Fontaines D.C. say ‘they couldn’t give a sh*t’ about the Oasis reunion
Danny Jones
Liam Gallagher has fired back at Fontaines D.C. after two members of the popular Irish band said “they couldn’t give a sh*t” about the Oasis reunion.
Not unlike Oasis, the Dubliners might be one of the biggest bands on the planet right now and after they were asked about the reunion that shook the world in an interview about their new album, Romance, guitarist Carlos O’Connell and bassist Conor Deegan III were pretty blunt in response.
Speaking to Studio Brussel, O’Connell simply said: “I couldn’t really give a shit, to be honest”, with Deegan adding: “I’m not excited about it either, to be honest, because I just feel like we get caught in the last era, like the 2010s, into such a nostalgic thing that we’re forgetting to make new things.”
He goes on to say, “I feel like what we were wanting to do with this record anyway was to look into the future and make new things… So for Oasis to reform at this moment for us is really annoying.”
And just as it seems the rising alternative and post-punk outfit are a little bit miffed about the Burnage boys coming back and maybe stealing a little bit of their thunder, Liam Gallagher himself doesn’t seem particularly keen on Fontaines either.
Kicking off the indirect exchange by simply replying to a clip of the interview with one line – “State of ’em” – fans needed little convincing that the 51-year-old could be roped into a social media rant given how active he’s been since news of the reunion broke.
“They look like sh*t” and after someone jokingly said, “So they aren’t supporting you on tour as rumoured then”, Liam simply added, “Are they f**k.”
Reacting to reports about the straightforward frontman looking to recruit ‘established acts’ to support him and his brother on Oasis’ reunion trail – though his son Gene’s band has also been linked with the tour – on X, the mere suggestion of Fontaines D.C led to this extremely colourful phrase:
As you can see, he did receive some support for his clap-back, with one viral post reading: “Any B-side from OASIS is much better than the best Fontaines D.C. single. They’re lucky that today’s music is sh*t, in the 90s they would be working at a McDonald’s.”
While some fans of both bands might have been a little gutted to see the two beefing so publicly, especially since they’re each riding such a massive high right now, Fontaines’ lead singer and lyricist Grian Chatten did offer some relief by clarifying that he strictly didn’t share the same thoughts.
Commenting underneath NME’s coverage of the spat on Instagram, 29-year-old Chatten insisted, “I love Oasis. This is not my opinion.” Hopefully, the two frontmen can patch things up at least and then, who knows, maybe we get an absolutely unreal support act for those Croke Park shows?
Hey, if Oasis can get back together then anything’s possible…
Featured Images — Warner Music Sweden (via Wikimedia Commons)/Studio Brussel (via YouTube)
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The hearing over Manchester City’s 115 FFP charges will officially start next week
Danny Jones
After more than a year of speculation as to when proceedings will finally start, it has been confirmed that the hearing regarding Manchester City and their 115 FFP charges is set to begin next week.
Man City were first slapped with the laundry list of alleged breaches of FFP (financial fair play) and failure to comply with Premier League rules on profit and sustainability (PSR) back in February 2023, but little movement on the case has been reported since then.
In that time, they also won the coveted Treble and their record-breaking fourth league title in a row; meanwhile, the club have continued to deny all claims of rule-breaking.
However, it has now been revealed that City‘s hearing will now kick off on Monday, 16 September.
BREAKING: The hearing over Manchester City's 115 charges will start on Monday 🚨 pic.twitter.com/9ujOCryVMF
As explained in various reports, given the extended nature of the claims made against the Manchester side, it is estimated that the case could run on for up to two months if not longer.
Furthermore, it is thought a decision isn’t expected to arrive until spring 2025 – again, this is simply due to the number of charges brought up over the best part of a decade.
In case you need a refresher, the allegations levelled at Man City date back to 2009 and concern a supposed nine years of financial irregularities, as well as subverting UEFA FFP rules.
Some of the accusations made against them also include failing to cooperate with the European football body and the Premier League, as well as offering ‘secret contracts’ so as to pay one particular manager a larger sum than what they recorded in their financial statements.
The final verdict, whenever it is reached, will be handed down by an independent commission and City will still be able to make an official appeal.
It goes without saying that were they to be found guilty, it would be the biggest financial scandal in English football history and could be seismic for the future of money in the sport and regulations surrounding ownership, which have already grown tighter following the charges being issued.
And in case you needed a more detailed refresher on what exactly they are being tried for and what the possibilities are regarding punishment if found guilty, here’s a quick rundown:
The Manc -
30th November 2020 
