What you can and can't do under the new rules

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England and Scotland have reduced the number of people allowed to meet socially to six, amid a rise in coronavirus cases.

Wales is also cutting the numbers who can meet to six - but only indoors.

What are the new rules on socialising?

In England, the limit of up to six people from multiple households meeting up applies both indoors and outdoors, and to all ages.

So, gatherings in private homes, venues like pubs and restaurants, and in outdoor spaces like parks are all affected.

In Scotland, a maximum of six people from two households can meet. Unlike England, children under 12 - from those two households - will not be included in the total.

In Wales, it is now illegal for more than six people from an extended household to meet indoors. Children aged 11 and under from the extended household do not count in the total. Up to 30 people from different homes can still meet outside.

Northern Ireland has not announced any changes.

Will any social events of more than six be allowed?

Exceptions allowed in England include:

If your household or support bubble is larger than six Education and training settings Workplaces Protests and political events, if compliant with safety guidelines Jury duty or other legal commitments Children's play groups and youth clubs Support groups, such as for addiction or abuse Playing sport - either professionally or for fun

Weddings, funerals and special religious occasions can go ahead with up to 30 people attending, in groups of six or less. However, celebrations afterwards are limited to weddings or civil partnerships.

If you attend a protest, political event or other permitted outdoor event, you should attend in a group no larger than six. Although you might know others at the event, it is against the law to "mingle" with anyone outside your designated group.

Can I still go to the pub or to a place of worship?

Yes. Pubs, restaurants, shops and other venues will remain open, and there is no limit on how many can enter them, if they comply with safety rules and allow for social distancing.

However, each individual group can have no more than six people in it. Venues should also allow for social distancing between groups.

Similarly, places of worship can have as many people in them as is safe to do so. However, people can only attend in groups of six or less.

What are the rules for sports?

You can play organised indoor and outdoor sports in groups of more than six, if the sport's governing body has published safety guidance.

But if you play sports informally with people you don't live with, you must not play with more than six people.

So, for example, a Sunday League football match can still go ahead, but you can only have a kickabout in the park if six or less people take part.

Group exercise classes are also exempt from the rule of six, where they are being organised under Covid-secure guidelines.

Can I be fined for breaking the rules?

The new measures mean police can break up groups larger than six.

Members of the group can be fined if they fail to follow the rules. This will be £100 for a first offence, doubling on each further offence up to £3,200.

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What is the guidance on social distancing?

Each UK nation is advising people to stay 2m (6ft) away from anyone they don't live with. However, there are some differences:

In England, if you can't stay 2m away, you can stay "1m plus" apart. The "plus" means doing something else to limit possible exposure - like wearing a face covering In Scotland, there are exemptions to the 2m rule in some places - like pubs and restaurants. Children aged 11 or under do not need to social distance In Wales, the 2m guidance reflects the fact it's not realistic to stay that far apart somewhere like a hairdresser's. Primary age children in Wales are also exempt Northern Ireland's guidance was 1m (3ft) for a time, but is now back at 2m Image copyright Getty Images

What about shopping or public transport?

Face coverings are compulsory on public transport and in shops across the UK.

Some people are exempt, such as those with certain medical conditions and shop workers while on duty.

What if I get symptoms and have to self-isolate?

You should self-isolate by staying at home for 10 days and arrange to get tested.

The symptoms are:

new continuous cough high temperature loss of, or change in, your normal sense of taste or smell

If your test is positive, you must complete the remainder of your 10-day self-isolation. Anyone you live with should self isolate for 14 days (from the time you started having symptoms).

Contact tracers will also contact people with positive results.

Do I have to social distance myself from everyone?

Everyone except people you live with or, if you are in England, Scotland or Northern Ireland, anyone in your support bubble.

Single adults living alone or single parents with children under 18 can "bubble" with one other household of any size with no social distancing.

In Wales, you do not have to social distance if you are in an "extended household".

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CoronaVirus translator

What do all these terms mean?

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Antibodies test

A medical test that can show if a person has had the coronavirus and now has some immunity. The test detects antibodies in the blood, which are produced by the body to fight off the disease.

Asymptomatic

Someone who has a disease but does not have any of the symptoms it causes. Some studies suggest some people with coronavirus carry the disease but don't show the common symptoms, such as a persistent cough or high temperature.

Containment phase

The first part of the UK's strategy to deal with the coronavirus, which involved trying to identify infected people early and trace anyone who had been in close contact with them.

Coronavirus

One of a group of viruses that can cause severe or mild illness in humans and animals. The coronavirus currently sweeping the world causes the disease Covid-19. The common cold and influenza (flu) are other types of coronaviruses.

Covid-19

The disease caused by the coronavirus first detected in Wuhan, China, in late 2019. It primarily affects the lungs.

Delay phase

The second part of the UK's strategy to deal with the coronavirus, in which measures such as social distancing are used to delay its spread.

Fixed penalty notice

A fine designed to deal with an offence on the spot, instead of in court. These are often for driving offences, but now also cover anti-social behaviour and breaches of the coronavirus lockdown.

Flatten the curve

Health experts use a line on a chart to show numbers of new coronavirus cases. If a lot of people get the virus in a short period of time, the line might rise sharply and look a bit like a mountain. However, taking measures to reduce infections can spread cases out over a longer period and means the "curve" is flatter. This makes it easier for health systems to cope.

Flu

Short for influenza, a virus that routinely causes disease in humans and animals, in seasonal epidemics.

Furlough

Supports firms hit by coronavirus by temporarily helping pay the wages of some staff. It allows employees to remain on the payroll, even though they aren't working.

Herd immunity

How the spread of a disease slows after a sufficiently large proportion of a population has been exposed to it.

Immune

A person whose body can withstand or fend off a disease is said to be immune to it. Once a person has recovered from the disease caused by the coronavirus, Covid-19, for example, it is thought they cannot catch it again for a certain period of time.

Incubation period

The period of time between catching a disease and starting to display symptoms.

Intensive care

Hospital wards which treat patients who are very ill. They are run by specially-trained healthcare staff and contain specialist equipment.

Lockdown

Restrictions on movement or daily life, where public buildings are closed and people told to stay at home. Lockdowns have been imposed in several countries as part of drastic efforts to control the spread of the coronavirus.

Mitigation phase

The third part of the UK's strategy to deal with the coronavirus, which will involve attempts to lessen the impact of a high number of cases on public services. This could mean the NHS halting all non-critical care and police responding to major crimes and emergencies only.

NHS 111

The NHS's 24-hour phone and online service, which offers medical advice to anyone who needs it. People in England and Wales are advised to ring the service if they are worried about their symptoms. In Scotland, they should check NHS inform, then ring their GP in office hours or 111 out of hours. In Northern Ireland, they should call their GP.

Outbreak

Multiple cases of a disease occurring rapidly, in a cluster or different locations.

Pandemic

An epidemic of serious disease spreading rapidly in many countries simultaneously.

Phase 2

This is when the UK will start to lift some of its lockdown rules while still trying to reduce the spread of coronavirus.

PPE

PPE, or personal protective equipment, is clothing and kit such as masks, aprons, gloves and goggles used by medical staff, care workers and others to protect themselves against infection from coronavirus patients and other people who might be carrying the disease.

Quarantine

The isolation of people exposed to a contagious disease to prevent its spread.

R0, pronounced "R-naught", is the average number of people who will catch the disease from a single infected person. If the R0 of coronavirus in a particular population is 2, then on average each case will create two more new cases. The value therefore gives an indication of how much the infection could spread.

Recession

This happens when there is a significant drop in income, jobs and sales in a country for two consecutive three-month periods.

Sars

Severe acute respiratory syndrome, a type of coronavirus that emerged in Asia in 2003.

Self-isolation

Staying inside and avoiding all contact with other people, with the aim of preventing the spread of a disease.

Social distancing

Keeping away from other people, with the aim of slowing down transmission of a disease. The government advises not seeing friends or relatives other than those you live with, working from home where possible and avoiding public transport.

State of emergency

Measures taken by a government to restrict daily life while it deals with a crisis. This can involve closing schools and workplaces, restricting the movement of people and even deploying the armed forces to support the regular emergency services.

Statutory instrument

These can be used by government ministers to implement new laws or regulations, or change existing laws. They are an easier alternative to passing a full Act of Parliament.

Symptoms

Any sign of disease, triggered by the body's immune system as it attempts to fight off the infection. The main symptoms of the coronavirus are a fever, dry cough and shortness of breath.

Vaccine

A treatment that causes the body to produce antibodies, which fight off a disease, and gives immunity against further infection.

Ventilator

A machine that takes over breathing for the body when disease has caused the lungs to fail.

Virus

A tiny agent that copies itself inside the living cells of any organism. Viruses can cause these cells to die and interrupt the body's normal chemical processes, causing disease.

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