‘Have a merry little Christmas’
PEOPLE should “think hard” before meeting family and friends over the festive period, Boris Johnson said as he urged people to have a “merry little Christmas”.
The Prime Minister said a “smaller Christmas is going to be a safer Christmas” and also suggested people should cut short their celebrations rather than enjoy the maximum permitted five days in a festive bubble.
The relaxation of social distancing rules across the UK will go ahead despite concerns about the possible impact on efforts to control the virus.
The original UK-wide plans would have seen three households allowed to form a festive bubble between December 23 and 27. But Mr Johnson said those were the maximum limits rather than a target to aim for.
He suggested people should reduce their contacts in the five days ahead of the festive period if they were going to mix with friends and relatives.
At a Downing Street press conference, the Prime Minister admitted the coronavirus situation had deteriorated since the festive bubble rules were set by the four nations of the UK. Mr Johnson said: “While it would not be right, we think, to criminalise people who have made plans and simply want to spend time with their loved ones, we’re collectively – across the UK governments at every level – asking you to think hard, and in detail about the days ahead.”
He said the laws were remaining the same but “a smaller Christmas is going to be a safer Christmas and a shorter Christmas is a safer Christmas”.
People should avoid travelling from areas of high prevalence to regions with lower prevalence and “avoid staying away from home overnight if you can”.
Mr Johnson suggested people should consider waiting until elderly relatives have been vaccinated before meeting them.
He said: “Have yourselves a merry little Christmas – and I’m afraid this year I do mean little.
“But with the vaccine, and all the other measures that we are taking, we do know that things will be better in this country by Easter.”
England’s chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty suggested it was not worth the risk of meeting the “most vulnerable” until they have been vaccinated.
“We are tantalisingly close to the stage where anybody who gets into trouble as a result of actions this Christmas would have been protected in the very near future,” he said.
“It is very important people think about that when they make decisions over the next few weeks.”
Prof Whitty said his advice for Christmas was: “Keep it small, keep it short, keep it local and think of the most vulnerable people.”
The new guidance on Christmas came after talks involving the leaders of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove.