You can still meet your support bubble or form a support bubble if you are eligible. Before the outbreak of the pandemic and the disruption it caused in the way we interact with each other, with each other and with each other, and with ourselves, there was no notion of a bubble of support. The goal, according to Tristram Ingham, who came up with the idea for the bubble, was to capture the containment and protection needed during the pandemic, and to do so in an enabling way. A bubble was an appropriate metaphor in this regard, as it is a « fragile but beautiful structure that needs to be maintained and preserved. » Jones, H. (2020). Boris lifts the sex ban (one way or another) when he lets the homes of single adults meet. Metro, June 10, 2020. Available from: metro.co.uk/2020/06/10/living-alone-can-now-form-support-bubbles-another-household-12833961/ Scientific Pandemic Insights Group on Behaviours (2020). SPI-B: Well-being and family ties: the behavioural considerations of « bubbles ». GOV.UK, May 14, 2020.
Available at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/spi-b-well-being-and-household-connection-the-behavioural-considerations-of-bubbles-14-may-2020. Trnka, S., & Davies, S. G. (2020). Breaking the bubble fallacy: confinement and the problematic concept of « home ». The spin-off, April 29, 2020. Available from: thespinoff.co.nz/society/29-04-2020/bursting-the-bubble-fallacy-lockdown-and-the-problematic-concept-of-home/ The concepts of containment and protection that underpinned the bubble concept in New Zealand influenced the versions that were eventually introduced in the UK from June 2020 as part of the easing of lockdown. Support bubbles have been touted as a way to mitigate some of the worst effects of loneliness, isolation, and separation from initial lockdowns. The goal was to allow more contact between households, especially for those who need it most, while limiting the risk of COVID spreading.
While the versions of the concept built in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland were all slightly different, in all cases the focus was mainly on those who lived, raised alone or cared for themselves. As in New Zealand, the dominant principle of the bubble in the UK was that of exclusivity, and maintaining a distance between the bubbles (in spatial and temporal terms) was treated as an act of care. Updated with clarification on how support bubbles work for those in more than one bubble type, and simplified guides on moving to form a support bubble. Güell, O. (2020). Europe is preparing to limit social contacts to household bubbles amid rising coronavirus cases. El País, 22 October 2020. Available at: english.elpais.com/society/2020-10-22/europe-moves-to-limits-social-contact-to-household-bubbles-amid-surge-in-coronavirus-cases.html. The third phase of the development of the support bubble concept across the UK involved the development of the four different versions over the next year. This has been done in different and complex ways, and the policies and regulations of the four UK countries have been amended several times.
Essentially, however, there have been two main types of adjustments: to the eligibility criteria and rules for bubble formation and resolution as in England (Department of Health and Social Care, 2021b) and to the structure and scope of the concept itself, as in Wales (Welsh Government, 2021c; Welsh Government, 2021d). You can also have a single support bubble, which means you can`t create multiple bubbles with multiple focuses. If a member of the « support bubble » begins to develop symptoms of COVID-19, all members must self-isolate for a period of 14 days. A support bubble is different from a childcare bubble. A childcare bubble allows you to connect with another household to provide childcare services for children under the age of 14. The basic principle of bubble exclusivity was repeated when New Zealand was liberated on September 27. In April 2020, it moved to alert level 3 and « extended » bubbles became possible. At that time, residents were still legally required to stay in their bubble « when they were not at work or school, » but they were allowed to expand their bubble to « connect with close family members and whānau [an extended family or community of related families], bring in caregivers, or support isolated people » (Government of New Zealand, 2021a). These « extended bladder arrangements and joint care arrangements » were approved as « substantial personal movements » under section 7 of the Health Act Ordinance 2020 (COVID-19 alert level 3). In 2020, it was found that 47.6% of respondents to a survey on New Zealanders` experiences of confinement expanded their bubble in this way (Long et al., 2020, p.
28). The UK also introduced support bubbles in 2020 as part of a broader strategy to ease lockdowns: from 13 June in England and Northern Ireland, 19 June in Scotland and 6 July in Wales. The main target was, at least initially, people living alone. While New Zealand has always had a lockdown « buddy » system for people living alone, the UK has not.