Petition · past parliament
Don't include children under 12 in the Rule of Six for gatherings in England
Rejected
10 signatures
What the petition asks
The Rule of Six for gatherings in England will, for example, make it a criminal offence for a family with 3 children and two parents to meet with two grandparents at once. Parliament must scrutinise whether this severe interference with family life is justified. Children under 12 could be exempted.
This new rule disproportionately affects families with children compared to smaller households, whose freedom to meet with others indoors will actually increase. It feels unfair. It is extremely impractical. It is inconsistent with the fact that young children apparently pose a lower risk of spreading the virus. It does not make sense, when at school young children are mixing without masks or distancing and in large bubbles.
Why it was rejected
There was already a petition about this issue. Duplicates are rejected so signatures collect in one place.
You may wish to sign this petition which calls for the same action: Allow Alcoholics Anonymous meetings to continue as an exception to 'Rule of Six'
You can find out more about coronavirus and how you can protect yourself and others here:
www.gov.uk/coronavirus
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/
The Government has also created an online service to help you find out what you can do if you’re struggling because of coronavirus: https://www.gov.uk/find-coronavirus-support
You can read NHS tips to help if you are worried about coronavirus here: https://www.nhs.uk/oneyou/every-mind-matters/coronavirus-covid-19-anxiety-tips
You can read impartial analysis of the Government response to coronavirus and policy developments here: https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/coronavirus/
You may also be interested to know that because of the large number of petitions that have been started in relation to coronavirus, the Petitions Committee has been questioning the Government about its response to the coronavirus outbreak.
Find out more: https://committees.parliament.uk/work/192/the-governments-response-to-coronavirus/
You can find out more about coronavirus and how you can protect yourself and others here:
www.gov.uk/coronavirus
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/
The Government has also created an online service to help you find out what you can do if you’re struggling because of coronavirus: https://www.gov.uk/find-coronavirus-support
You can read NHS tips to help if you are worried about coronavirus here: https://www.nhs.uk/oneyou/every-mind-matters/coronavirus-covid-19-anxiety-tips
You can read impartial analysis of the Government response to coronavirus and policy developments here: https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/coronavirus/
You may also be interested to know that because of the large number of petitions that have been started in relation to coronavirus, the Petitions Committee has been questioning the Government about its response to the coronavirus outbreak.
Find out more: https://committees.parliament.uk/work/192/the-governments-response-to-coronavirus/
Timeline
| 12 Sep 2020 | Petition opened for signatures |
| 18 Sep 2020 | Rejected by the Petitions Committee |
Key facts
Signatures
10
Status
Rejected
Rejected
18 Sep 2020
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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.