How childcare and support bubbles are impacted as Chesterfield placed in Tier one lockdown

With new restrictions coming into place all over the country tomorrow on Wednesday, October 14, many parents have been left wondering how it will impact their childcare arrangements as many rely on friends and relatives.

Chesterfield was listed as a ‘medium alert’ area, so tier one restrictions apply, including the rule of six and the 10 pm curfew measures that were previously in place.

Registered childcare, education or training is already exempt from the ‘rule of six’ limit on gatherings, as are supervised activities for children, including youth groups and children’s playgroups.

That means people can continue to use childminders, after-school clubs and nannies, for example.

The recent introduction of care bubbles allowed informal childcare arrangements to continue with another household, as long as they are consistent.

Therefore family and friends are still able to provide childcare for children under the age of 14 outside of their immediate household as long as groups from different households do not exceed six people.

However, the government said that play dates will not be exempt.

A support bubble can be formed between a single-adult household and another household of any size, and it means they can meet as if they were part of the same household. But once you have formed a support bubble, you cannot change who is in that bubble.

In tier-one areas, people are still able to meet with family and friends indoors but they must not in a group of more than six, indoors or outdoors.