The ‘rule of 6’ and community buildings

If you’re in the process of trying to re-open your community building safely, please take a few minutes to read through the latest guidance. We’ve included links to Government updates and an example risk assessment document.

The Government have updated the rules for social distancing for meeting people indoors and outdoors.

From 14th September 2020, people from different households must not meet in groups of more than 6, either indoors or outdoors. This limit does not apply to meetings of a single household group or support bubble which is more than 6 people.

If you live in an area subject to local restrictions, we continue to advise that you should not:

socialise with people who you do not live with, unless they’re in your support bubble, in any public venue. This applies to inside and outside of the affected areas. Examples of public venues include pubs, restaurants, cafes, shops, places of worship, community centres, leisure and entertainment venues, or visitor attractions and parks.
visit friends or family in care homes, other than in exceptional circumstances. Care homes should restrict visits to exceptional circumstances only.

The ‘rule of 6’ doesn’t apply to local restriction areas. Community centres within areas that are under local restriction should take steps to make sure people do not socialise with people who they do not live with, in line with Covid-19 secure guidance.

In areas where there are local restrictions, risk assessment is key. This might mean it is not viable for you to open your community building. Nurseries running from community centres are subject to the government guidance on early years settings.

If you are in an area where there are no local restrictions, community facilities can host more than 6 people in total, but no-one should visit or socialise in a group of more than 6 – and you must follow the Covid-19 secure guidelines and ensure you have the appropriate risk assessments.

Government links and example risk assessment

Updated, 15th September 2020

The Government have updated their guidance for community facilities since we published this post. This new guidance says that activities and social groups where there is a significant likelihood of groups mixing and socialising (and where it will be difficult to prevent mingling and therefore breaking the law) should not take place in a community facility.

We encourage you to read Section 3c in this latest Government guidance for community facilities:

Guidance for the safe use of multi-purpose community facilities

Further information on social contact rules, social distancing and the exemptions that exist can be found on the UK Government website. We encourage you to read Section 3:

Guidance on meeting with others safely

These rules will not apply to workplaces or education settings, alongside other exemptions. There is more information on the UK Government website.

Details on what has changed

People who are using Covid-19 secure community facilities should limit their social interactions with anyone who they do not live with. Where activities have 6 or more people participating (where it is safe to do so and capacity permits) it is important for all parties to maintain social distancing, 2 metres or 1 metre apart, with actions taken to reduce the risk of transmission (where 2 metres is not viable) between households. You should encourage the use of face coverings and good hand hygiene on entering premises and throughout a person’s visit.

Most community buildings can continue to open, provided that you follow the guidance. However, if direct social interaction is key to the activity (and if the activity is not a support group such as victim support or mental health groups) then you probably shouldn’t be doing it.

Gatherings of over 30 in public outdoor space are not allowed in Kirklees at this time.

Please feel free to use this risk assessment as learning to support you to complete your own risk assessments: