NEW restrictions have come into force today across the North-East with major changes to the rules on households mixing with others.

From today, areas in Tier 2 lockdown - which applies to the whole region - can meet people outdoors and in their private gardens.

READ MORE: What you CAN and CANNOT do in the North-East under new rules today

Rules banning mixing of households indoors, which were first introduced in September, continue to apply across the region, unless you have a support bubble.

But what exactly is a support bubble?

Support bubbles were introduced after the country went into a national lockdown in March, with restrictions on who you could and couldn't meet.

They were brought in to help tackle loneliness and effectively meant those eligible were able to act like one combined household. 

The rules were later amended to include bubbles for the purposes of providing childcare to children in the North-East.

Who is eligible?

But not everyone is able to have one, and there are strict rules on when exactly they apply.

Under current rules, one adult - known as a single-adult household - can mix with one other household of any size.

You can form a bubble, even if carers visit you to provide support or are a single parent living with children who were under 18 on June 12, 2020.

Can I change my support bubble?

Once you are in a support bubble, you can move between both households - but you cannot change who you have chosen. 

The rules recommend you form a support bubble with a household that lives locally in order to prevent the virus spreading from an area with a higher rate of infection.

The rules state that from September 14, if you form or continue in a support bubble, you cannot then change your support bubble.

It does not have to be the same support bubble you may have been in previously.

What about childcare?

You can also form a childcare support bubble in order to allow parents to continue working without interruption as a result of the pandemic.

For those in single-adult households, the rules say you can form a bubble with another household other than the one that includes your child’s other parent.

If you’re not a single adult household, the rules say you can form a bubble with a single-adult household other than the one that includes your child’s other parent.

What if someone contracts Covid-19?

As you are effectively acting as one household, if anyone tests positive for Covid or develops symptoms then you must follow stay at home guidance.

If you share custody of your child, and you and your child’s other parent are in separate bubbles, members of both bubbles should stay at home if someone develops symptoms.

READ MORE: What you CAN and CANNOT do in the North-East under new rules today