New Covid lockdown rules see most weddings banned across UK and funerals limited to 30 guests

THE strict new lockdown announced tonight by Boris Johnson will see most weddings banned, while funerals are limited to just 30 mourners.

The Prime Minister has plunged England back into a March-style shutdown, with households banned from mixing, non-essential shops shuttered and schools closed.

⚠️ Read our coronavirus live blog for the latest news & updates

And the tough restrictions mean thousands of couples who have either pinned their hopes on a winter wedding —or had already been forced to postpone their nuptials during previous lockdowns — must now reschedule yet again.

Most will now be banned - unless there are "exceptional circumstances".

Officials will allow "deathbed weddings" - where one of those being wed is seriously ill and not expected to recover - to go ahead.

Ceremonies can also be held where one or both of those getting married are due to undergo debilitating treatment or life-changing surgery. 

But only six people can attend in all situations.

Funerals, meanwhile, are still permitted to go ahead.

But there are strict rules on how many people can attend.

A maximum of 30 mourners can attend a service - but only six people are permitted to attend a wake.

Crematoriums remain open for funeral services only.

Burial services can continue in the cemetery grounds. There are restrictions on the number of those attending.

Linked religious, belief-based or commemorative events, such as stone settings and ash scatterings can also continue.

However, for all linked events, just six people are allowed to attend.

At all other times, strict rules on meeting friends and family from different households are in place.

Visiting loved ones in their homes - or even gardens - will be banned under the new rule to control the spread of a mutant new strain of Covid.

Brits are allowed to meet with one person from a different household in a public place, like a park.

But it's only for exercise - so while walking is allowed, sitting to chat on a park bench is banned.