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.”
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.
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.
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.
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.
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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Royel Otis add second Manchester date due to massive demand
Danny Jones
Australian indie pop group Royel Otis have announced a second Manchester date ahead of their upcoming UK tour due to a huge demand for tickets.
The Aussie duo, who have blown up in the past couple of years with tracks like ‘Oysters In My Pocket’ and two viral covers of Sophie Ellis-Bextor and The Cranberries, are due to play a massive Manchester gig later this year.
Set to make their O2 Victoria Warehouse debut this winter, the ‘Sofa King’ singers saw their ticket allocation sell out quicker than you can say ‘Going Kokomo’.
As a result, there was only one thing for it:
Due to demand, @RoyelOtis have just added an extra date at Manchester @O2VicWarehouse in November! 🔥
For anyone still unaware of the rising alt-pop outfit led by frontman Otis Pavlovic and Royel Maddell (hence the name), they began breaking onto the scene around 2022 after having released a couple of tracks the year prior.
Although they quickly gained support back in their home country, their presence over here and indeed around the world was helped no end after their tripleJ take on ‘Murder on the Dancefloor’ and stripped-back version of ‘Linger’ for SiriusXM hit the internet.
They even managed to land a feature on EA FC 24 – formerly known as FIFA – and we all know how getting on that soundtrack can transform careers.
Since then, their following has grown exponentially, and the rising double act has booked major festival slots such over the past 12 months or so, playing the likes of Kendal Calling, Glastonbury, as well as Reading and Leeds, just to name a few.
Regardless, fervent fans haven’t seen their clamour disappear, and now the band have announced an extra date at Victoria Warehouse.
Now set to play the venue on Friday AND Saturday, 28-29 November 2025, they will be supported by an opening act with a cool UK connection: Still Blank.
The transatlantic outfit is made up of Jordy is from Hawaii, and Ben, from right here in Manchester; the two come together to make what Stereogum has described as “sullen folk-grunge” – yet more reason for locals to be interested in the gig.
Once again, while the first gig has sold out, you can grab your tickets for Royel Otis’ second Manchester show HERE.
New ‘postboxes of the future’ are being rolled out across the UK
Danny Jones
The Royal Mail is starting to roll out its line of so-called “postboxes of the future” across the UK this year, including right here in Greater Manchester.
It has been dubbed the most important and noticeable transformation to the classic British postbox in its entire 175-year history.
The national postal service teased the modern-day upgrade earlier this year, but the revolutionary new upgrade was officially announced this week, with Royal Mail ushering in a new era of digitally-driven units that should make many lives a lot easier – at least in theory.
Although they might look pretty identical to the iconic red boxes since before the turn of the 19th century have used up and down the country, there are marked differences between the new and the old ones.
Credit: Royal Mail
The biggest change made to the Royal Mail’s soon-to-be standard design is a digitally activated drop-down drawer, which will be able to fit parcels as big as a shoebox, hopefully saving us Brits on a fair few trips to the post office.
You will be able to scan a barcode via the updated Royal Mail app to activate the drawer for larger items; meanwhile, there will be a separate slot for letters and smaller packages.
Additionally, the new range of high-tech postboxes will also be solar-powered, helping the public limited company chase its ‘green’ targets.
Now owned by parent firm International Distribution Services (IDS) – who also oversee Parcelforce Worldwide – following the UK government’s approval of its historic sale to Czech billionaire Daniel Křetínský at the end of 2024, the group as a whole is undergoing a significant overhaul.
Britain’s new solar postboxes were first trialled back in April in four towns located throughout the Hertfordshire region: Letchworth Garden City, Ware and Hertford. A fifth was later installed in Fowlmere, Cambridgeshire, too.
Despite being quickly considered a success on the whole, the initial design featured an entirely black top, with polls of civilians and Royal Mail themselves agreeing that keeping them red all over was more in keeping with the brand.
It’s like the old school phone box, isn’t it? We can’t picture it any other way.
📮Attention Postbox Lovers 📮
Royal Mail is upgrading postboxes to accept parcels. They'll gaining a new slot and a solar panel on top
Speaking in a statement, the Royal Mail‘s managing director of ‘out-of-home and commercial excellence’, Jack Clarkson, said: “We are all sending and returning more parcels than ever before.
“This trend will only continue as online shopping shows no signs of slowing, particularly with the boom of second-hand marketplaces. There are 115,000 postboxes in the UK located within half a mile of 98% of addresses, making them by far the most convenient network of parcel drop-off points in the UK.
“Our message is clear – if you have a Royal Mail label on your parcel, and it fits, put it in a postbox and we’ll do the rest.”
The new generation postboxes are now being made permanent in the same locations, with Edinburgh, Nottingham, Sheffield and Manchester next.
Keep your eyes peeled on the streets as they’ll soon be making a debut in your area.
The Manc -
22nd December 2020 
