Adults living alone in England, including single parents with children under 18, will be able to form a “support bubble” with one other household, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced at the governments daily briefing.

The updated guidelines come into place from Saturday and are intended to ease the challenges of social isolation during the coronavirus lockdown.

Members of a bubble can stay overnight at each other’s home, and there is no need to stick to the two-metre social distancing rule.

The relaxation of the rules does not include those who are shielding, meaning guidelines for the “clinically extremely vulnerable” remain unchanged.

Government officials argue that the bubbles will allow widowed grandparents to visit family members, or have their grandchildren to stay.