Matt Hancock has confirmed that the UK government will not bring in a separate set of rules for the New Year period - meaning people in Tiers 2 and 3 will not be able to see family and friends from outside their household or support bubble.
"We are not bringing in a special set of rules for New Year as we have for Christmas," said the Health Secretary, in response to public questions during today's briefing.
He added: "I know this has been such a tough year for so many of us - 2020 - so we've brought in the rules around Christmas to make sure that people have that opportunity to be able to see some members of their family who they haven't been able to all year.
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"But we've got to be careful. Let's not blow it, especially with the vaccine on the horizon. Let's make sure we all take the actions we need to to look after other people and to look after especially those who are vulnerable to the disease over Christmas.
"We therefore haven't put in place a specific set of rules for New Year or indeed for lots of other holidays and special occasions throughout this crisis - just for Christmas. I know that that's frustrating but unfortunately it's necessary to keep the virus under control."
Between 23 and 27 December people in the UK can form an exclusive 'Christmas bubble' composed of people from no more than three households. You can only be in one Christmas bubble and can't change it.
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People will be able to travel between tiers and UK nations for the purposes of meeting their Christmas bubble and they can only meet in private homes, gardens, places of worship or public outdoor spaces.
According to the Government website, 'a fixed bubble is a sensible and proportionate way to balance the desire to spend time with others over the Christmas period, while limiting the risk of spreading infection'.
Families will be able to visit relatives in care homes for Christmas and the government has sent more than one million tests out to providers in an attempt to make this as safe as possible.
Family members will only be allowed to visit once they've provided a negative test, and Health Secretary Matt Hancock hopes that this move will help to readdress the balance between keeping the vulnerable safe, and providing them with the benefits that come with seeing their loved ones.
Featured Image Credit: PATopics: UK News, Coronavirus