Rule of 6 doesn’t fit a family of 7

THE new rule banning large groups means Joe and Kerry Cambell, who live with daughters Faith, 16, Ellie,15, Madison, 14, Izzobella, nine, and Imogen, eight, in Grimsby cannot meet friends and loved ones as a family. Rule of 6 doesn’t fit a family of 7.

A family-of-seven has shared their frustration at being isolated from their friends and family by the new but confusing “rule of six”.

Joe and Kerry Campbell and their five daughters are not allowed to meet anyone as a family, and cannot have guests over.

They live together in their home in Grimsby, Kerry, 35, had a string of health conditions, they have already had to limit the number of visitors – and it means her mum cannot come over to help or support the family when they need it.

Joe explained “I can understand it to some extent, but I think their priorities are wrong.

“I don’t know why they are heavily restricting how many people you can meet in your home while keeping pubs open.

The rule of 6 hasn’t been considered for large families of 7 or more.

“Surely you are more at risk by going to the pub than having one member of your family visiting your home?

“We don’t get that many people around at the moment because my wife is quite ill, but her mother often visits, as well as my daughters’ friends.

“But with this new law, nobody can visit at all, which I think is unfair to bigger families.”

The dad-of-five said they also now get dirty looks when they are out together as a family.

He said: “I completely understand how scary the coronavirus is, we have been wearing masks and following social distancing throughout.

“But I just don’t think enough thought has been put into this.

“We have looked into it and we are exempt if we are out as a group of seven because we are all from the same household, but I can imagine we will still get some looks and possibly even people reporting us when they see us.

“It won’t matter too much, because we can prove we’re a family of seven, but it just adds an extra hassle onto our lives.

“Since the rule has been in place, I have seen people outwardly not following it, with people from multiple households still meeting up, and it just makes the situation even more frustrating.”

The restrictions have also had a big impact on Joe and Kerry’s daughters. Rule of 6 just doesn’t fit a family of 7.

He said: “The younger ones have been really confused by it all, they know the basics and have taken it in their stride, but when they keep changing the rules it doesn’t help things.

“The teenagers have struggled the most through it all. Faith is looking for work, which is hard coming out of the pandemic.

“But Ellie and Madison have also struggled, they can’t see their friends as often with the restrictions, and it’s not always possible for them to see them elsewhere.

Should rules be adjusted in these situations? If more than 6 people can go shooting grouse together, surely a mother can visit her daughter during a time of need.

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