Lancashire Tier 3 restrictions explained: your questions answered about lockdown measures

The restrictions will mean that pubs and bars which don’t serve food will have to close, and mixing between households indoors will be banned.

Unlike in the Liverpool city region, which is also in Tier 3, gyms and leisure centres in Lancashire will be able to remain open. The package was only agreed on the morning of 16 October, and further information is expected on the exact details.

Here are some reader questions about the changes answered.

Are non-essential shops still open?

Retail outlets will remain open, but from Monday 19 October, a number of specific businesses will be forced to close. These include casinos, bingo halls, bookmakers and betting shops.

Car boot sales and children’s soft play areas will also be forced to close from Monday.

Are all pubs closed?

The government guidance says that pubs or bars serving “substantial meals, like a main lunchtime or evening meal” will be able to remain open. Any other pubs or bars will have to close as of midnight on Friday 16 October.

There is little other information on the details of what constitutes a substantial meal, although it is likely that this will not include bar snacks, such as crisps or nuts.

Are the unitary authorities included within Lancashire this time?

The restrictions will be put in place across Lancashire, which includes the unitary authorities, but you can check the restrictions for where you live by inputting your postcode on the government website.

When do the new restrictions come into effect?

The main set of measures will come into effect at 0:01 Saturday 17 October AM, meaning that Friday 16 October will be the last day that these measures are not in effect.

What about travel?

Lancashire residents are being advised to keep travel to a minimum and to work from home if possible.

People are being advised not to travel in or out of areas which have been categorised as Tier 3, or ‘very high’ risk.

This means people who were planning to travel to Lancashire from elsewhere should try to avoid doing so, if possible, unless required for work, education or caring responsibilities.

You may travel to somewhere else within the area covered by Tier 3 restrictions, but should only do with people from your household or support bubble.

Hotels will be able to remain open, but will be subject to social distancing measures and the 10pm curfew.

Can grandparents still provide childcare?

People in your support bubble or your childcare bubble can provide childcare support in private homes and gardens.

A childcare bubble is formed when someone in one household provides informal (unpaid and unregistered) childcare to at least one child aged 13 or under in another household. This does include two people (for example, grandparents) from the same household.

However, you can only link with one other household to form a bubble, so childcare cannot be split between two sets of grandparents, for example.

According to the guidance, childcare bubbles are “not for the purposes of different households mixing where they are otherwise not allowed to do so.”

Can children move between the houses of separated parents?

Children of parents who are separated can continue to move between households.

This does not impact on support bubbles, meaning both parents’ households can have a support or childcare bubble, as well as moving the child between their own households.

Can I still provide care for elderly people with dementia?

There are exemptions to the rules around meeting with people from other households, according to government guidance, including “to provide care or assistance to someone vulnerable”, with further specific guidance available here.

Can tradespeople still work in other people’s homes?

Official and registered tradespeople can go to other people’s homes for work purposes, so long as they follow national guidance on how to work safely there.

This includes tradespeople like plumbers and locksmiths, as well as mobile hairdressers and beauticians.