Christmas, the plans of France, Germany, Great Britain and Spain- Corriere.it



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Buying gifts, home visits, traveling from one city to another: not only in Italy, Christmas is presented as a particularly difficult time to organize in the more general framework of managing the pandemic. An anonymous French government official let loose with the newspaper The world, a few days ago, what organizing Christmas will be a big problem, a big puzzle.

In France: 70% want Christmas locked up

In France, after an autumn of record infections and a new closure that began in late October, non-essential stores could reopen on December 1; Christmas trees can be purchased from November 20, the government announced, but restaurants and bars are unlikely to reopen before mid-January. The fate of the Christmas masses is also uncertain: it does not say that churches can reopen. Prime Minister Jean Castex said in recent days that There will be a relaxation in the rules of the confinement, but it will certainly be difficult to allow house parties with so many people. As for travel between cities or abroad, the government will not decide until the end of November. Unhappy? Not too much. In secular France, a survey reveals that 53% of respondents are willing to give up a family Christmas and 70% to spend it entirely in a rigid lockdown.

In Germany, there are no markets

Announcing a light lockdown in early November, Angela Merkel also said to do it to have a Christmas when we can afford some freedom in pi. Today, in two interviews, the presiding ministers of Saxony-Anhalt and Mecklenburg spoke about continue the light blocking until Christmas and then enjoy the holidays better. And Markus Soeder announced the same for Bavaria, in an interview with Bild.
On November 25, however, a new State-Regions conference is scheduled to coordinate initiatives for next month. For now, the previous government meeting with the presidents of the 16 Lnder last week has rejected the additional restrictions requested by the central government (such as the school mask) but has not restored beloved Christmas traditions like Weinachtsmrkte, Christmas markets, most of which have already been canceled (here the list). Until at least December 20, write it down. Spiegel, in possession of confidential documents leaked from the meeting with the governors, there is no relaxation; Only regions with a rate of less than 35 new cases per day in 100,000 inhabitants for at least 7 consecutive days will be considered before loosening their control.
An unofficial draft circulates in various media the possible measures that will be taken for Christmas; the government neither denies nor confirms it, and outlines a general lockdown scenario similar to the one in force today, with Christmas moratoriums from December 21 to 27. Here they are: up to 10 people allowed (today the limit of 5) for receptions at home, children do not count; open churches, albeit with social distancing; The ban on the sale of fireworks is also being studied.and meet in the street on New Year’s Eve to launch them, a much loved ritual in Germany. On Wednesday you will understand how reliable this draft is.
I can’t imagine big parties with family and friends this winter, yet Health Minister Jens Spahn has repeatedly said. And the economy minister, Peter Altmeier, spoke of extending subsidies to companies in December.

Boris Johnson is expected in the UK

In the UK, a speech by Boris Johnson is expected by the time he will outline the government’s strategy for the post-shutdown: Current set of restrictions expires on December 2, and the transition to Christmas should be helped with an increase in follow-up. One of the government’s scientific advisers, unofficially interviewed dal Financial times, Supposes an exponential increase in infections, with Rt even tripled if all restrictions are loosened; At the moment, according to the rumors that circulate (and that Johnson’s speech will have to confirm or deny) it seems that there will be some relaxation in the days between Christmas and New Year, with pubs open until 11pm and allowed to receive more people in the house (now it can only be visited with another family option). But the Christmas measures, agreed between the 4 nations of the United Kingdom, will be announced only in the next few days: the agreement of Scotland and Wales is missing in some points.

In Spain, the mood flies low

In Spain, the Minister of Health, Salvador Illa, asked compatriots to keep the bar of hope very low: I think everyone knows that this Christmas will not be like the last. We can’t act like nothing happened. Spain remains in a state of emergency for now, including night curfews. Including Catalonia, which is entering into a 4-phase reopening plan that basically foresees the partial reopening of premises: it remains in effect for curfew from 10 pm to 6 am, including Christmas and New Years. Families from December 21 will be able to meet in groups of no more than 10 (now maximum 6). The Madrid government has announced Christmas exceptions to restrictions and curfews, and intends to prepare for them impose a surgical lockdown from December 4 to 14 to dramatically reduce infections. Meanwhile, the plan of the Madrid health authority is to trust pharmacies to administer tampons faster for Christmas, but the green light is expected from the Ministry of Health.

November 23, 2020 (change November 23, 2020 | 16:02)

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