England Banned Social Gatherings Of More Than Six People
England: Social gatherings of more than six people will be illegal in England from Monday with some exemptions - amid a steep rise in coronavirus cases.
The law change will ban larger groups meeting anywhere socially indoors or outdoors, the government said.
But it will not apply to schools, workplaces or Covid-secure weddings, funerals and organised team sports.
It will be enforced through a £100 fine if people fail to comply, doubling on each offence up to a maximum of £3,200.
The new rules - which come into force on 14 September - mark a change to England's current guidance.
At present, the guidance says two households of any size are allowed to meet indoors or outdoors, or up to six people from different households outdoors. Until now the police have had no powers to stop gatherings unless they exceeded 30.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson will give further details of the changes at a Downing Street news conference at 16:00 BST on Wednesday, alongside senior advisers Prof Chris Whitty and Sir Patrick Vallance.
Mr Hancock told BBC Breakfast: "This is really simple. Gatherings are ok, they should be socially distanced of course, but groups only of up to six."
He said it means that some families will not be able to see both grandparents at the same time. "You know, I have three children," he said. "We have a family of five. And so we'll be able to see one other person at a time, as a whole family."
Challenged on whether the new rules could stop grandparents helping out with childcare, Mr Hancock said: "I'm not actively trying to do that".
But he said the government is "quite worried about" the "very serious problem" of children potentially passing on the virus to older grandparents.
Mr Hancock was also asked about testing, after people with symptoms struggled to access testing in recent days.
"Unfortunately we have seen this quite sharp rise in the last couple of weeks of people without symptoms who don't have a good reason coming forward and getting a test," he said, saying 25% of people who were getting a coronavirus test were not eligible.
"I've even heard stories of people saying 'I'm going on holiday next week therefore I'm going to go get a test'. No. That's not what the testing system is there for."
Social gatherings of more than six people in England will not be allowed in law from Monday 14 September.
The new rule applies to people in private homes, indoors and outdoors, and places such as pubs, restaurants, cafes and public outdoor spaces.
The rule does not apply to schools and workplaces, or weddings, funerals and organised team sports.
A full list of exemptions is due to be published before the law changes
People who ignore police could be fined £100 - doubling with each offence to a maximum of £3,200
The number of people allowed to meet inside or outside varies in the UK's four nations. If you are meeting indoors: up to eight people from three different households can meet in Scotland; up to six people from two households in Northern Ireland; up to four households can form an extended household in Wales.
