Since 18 September 2020, many designated venues in England have been required to enforce the rule of 6. The 'rule of 6' bans any social gathering of more than 6 people, except under limited circumstances such as if a single household or support bubble includes more than 6 people.

Services included within the legal requirements to enforce the rule of 6 include:

• hospitality, including pubs, bars, restaurants and cafés
• tourism and leisure, including gyms, swimming pools, hotels, museums, cinemas, zoos and theme parks 
• close contact services, including hairdressers
• facilities provided by local authorities, including town halls and civic centres (for events) and libraries

Children’s centres run by local authorities were included on the original list but were removed on 21 October 2020.

These reporting requirements mean that affected businesses and organisations are legally required to log details of customers, visitors and staff for NHS Test and Trace. Failure to enforce the rules could see businesses face fines of up to £4,000.

Businesses are also required to display the official NHS QR code posters to make it easier for people to check-in at different premises once the app is rolled out nationally. If individuals choose to check-in using the QR code poster they do not need to log in via any other route.

The rule of 6 applies in outdoor and indoor settings in England. There are further restrictions for Tier 2 (High Alert) and Tier 3 (Very High Alert) areas.