Voice of London

With the Prime Minister introducing the new restrictions yesterday morning we are once, again facing a challenge of adjusting to a brand new lifestyle.

Whereas, the initial goal of the regulations stayed the same everything else about them is new and unfamiliar. With a new name and brand new restrictions on everything from house gatherings to outdoor and indoor activities the three-tier lockdown system is here to stay.

Whether, the rules will help us in the battle against the virus, that changed our way of life almost eight months ago, is still to be determined. For now, we just need to learn to understand the new tier system and determine what it means for us. This, believe it or not, can be almost as challenging as following the rules themselves.

There are now three Tiers introduced, tier 1 (medium alert), tier 2 (high alert) and tier 3 (very high alert). Tier 1 was enforced upon us at the beginning of September, way before we knew the new name it is now given and even though there is a possibility that tier 3 will soon become our new normal, it is the tier 2 restrictions that we should now get familiar with.

Those restrictions may be harder to follow especially for the younger citizens of London, the university students as completing group projects and conducting outside research can be almost impossible. In order to make it easier to not fall into the trap of misunderstanding or confusion, here is an ultimate list of Dos and Don’ts to help students avoid unnecessary risks.

The limitations of gatherings previously implicated by the government stay in place, therefore the rule of no more than 6 people in a group still applies.

Restaurant and bar closing time remains 10pm

Furthermore, you are not not allowed to interact with people from a different household both in your private housing or any indoor facility.

Young adults need to take the closing time for student bars and pubs into account while looking to let off some steam after a long week. Furthermore, group meetings for university work are now better conducted online.

However, there are still several conditions under which you are allowed to see your friends and classmates.

Mixing of households are allowed in outside terraces and other outside spaces, but only in a group of six.

The rule of six also may not apply for households of more than six people and members of a support bubble.

It is more useful for students and young adults in London to move their university related meetings online and limit their social interactions to less frequent outside gatherings. It may be hard to follow the new restrictions, especially when it requires to find ways around the studies and social activities that we are used to, however, it is important to keep yourself and people around you safe and prevent the virus from spreading. If we all stick together and cooperate we can improve the situation and create a better tomorrow.