Support bubbles: How do they work and who is in yours?

Some people across the UK have been able to form household support bubbles or extended households. The aim is to help people who've been cut off from friends and family.

The rules vary across the country, so what is the situation where you live?

A bubble is defined as a group of people with whom you have close physical contact.

In England, single adults living alone - or single parents whose children are under 18 - can form a support bubble with one other household.

The second household can be of any size and can include "at risk" people who were previously shielding.

Wherever possible, the government recommends that a support bubble should be with another local household to avoid unnecessary travel.

Support bubbles will be allowed to continue during the planned lockdown, which starts on Thursday.

Bubbles must be "exclusive". Once in one, you can't switch and start another with a different household.

People in each bubble can stay overnight in each other's homes, visit outdoors places together and do not have to socially distance.

Anyone in the bubble contacted as part of England's test and trace programme must stay at home. If they develop coronavirus symptoms, everyone in the bubble must self-isolate.

Under the current three-tier system, people have been allowed to form support bubbles with those who live in an area with a higher rating. However, the government says people should try to minimise contact with those in their support bubble if it involves travel to or from a very high (Tier 3) area.

Bubbles can be cross-border with Scotland and Wales, subject to local restrictions.

As well as the support bubble rules, the government in England also has a set of rules that apply to families with children under 14 (as well as to vulnerable adults).

They can form a childcare bubble with one other household to provide informal (unpaid and unregistered) childcare. This must always be between the same two households.

This will still be possible when the lockdown starts in England on Thursday. However, the Cabinet Office has been unable to confirm to the BBC whether one or more people from the second household can provide the childcare - so in the case of grandparents, for example, whether only one of them can do it.

Full government guidelines for England are here.

In August, people in Wales were given the go-ahead to form an "extended household" with up to three other households.

Members of the extended household were able to meet indoors in groups of up to six at any one time - not including children younger than 11 - and have physical contact. They could also stay in each other's homes, or form an extended household with another in England.

Since then, restrictions have been reintroduced, and extended households have been unable to meet.

From 23 October until 9 November, the Welsh government is imposing a "circuit breaker" lockdown, during which people have been told to stay at home and not mix with anyone they do not live with, either indoors or outdoors.

However, adults living alone, including single parent households, can still meet one other household of any size indoors.

When the ''circuit breaker'' ends, two households of any size will be able to form a bubble and will be able to meet in their own homes.

Since 19 June, people in Scotland who live on their own or only with children under 18 have been able to form an extended household with people from one other household.

Extended households can continue to meet at home under the new rules being introduced on 2 November.

This group of people can visit each other's homes and go inside. They do not have to stay 2m (6ft) apart and can stay overnight.

Households can only be a part of one extended group - you can't switch and start another with a different household.

People in extended households are counted as one household, and so can continue to meet and socialise with each other despite general restrictions on households mixing.

Couples who do not live together can also form an extended household, which can include any children they each live with.

If any member of an extended household develops symptoms or tests positive for Covid, everyone in the bubble must self-isolate.

Initially, single adults living alone - or single parents whose children were under 18 - were allowed to form a support bubble with one other household.

The rules were later changed to allow two full households to form a bubble.

Members of the bubble are treated as one household and can spend time indoors and stay overnight with each other.

Under the latest restrictions, bubbles are limited to a maximum of 10 people from two households.

Read more from the Northern Ireland Executive here.

Schools are using year group and/or class bubbles to support social distancing and reduce close contact between pupils as much as possible.

Maintaining distinct groups which do not mix makes it quicker and easier when a positive case occurs to identify those who may need to self-isolate and minimise their number.