Scientists confirm they’ve planned a relaxing Christmas confinement, but at a price

Scientists confirmed today that they have come up with plans that the government could use to relax the confinement during Christmas.

Experts told a Downing Street briefing that they sent information to the government over the weekend about what could happen over the holidays.

Reports suggest Boris Johnson could relax lockdown rules for three to five days to allow for family reunions. The meetings could have people from up to three households, the reports suggest.

But while scientists confirmed today that a family Christmas may be possible, they cautioned that it could come at a price: stricter rules on both sides of the breakup in return.

When asked if “a kind of Christmas” was possible, Dr. Susan Hopkins, medical adviser on the response to Covid-19, said: “I think so.”

But he added: “The other thing I would say is that some of the SAGE boards previously suggested that for every day we post, we will need two days of stricter restrictions.

“So, coming Christmas, we will have to be very careful with the amount of contacts we have to reduce transmission before Christmas and reduce our cases to the minimum possible.

“Hopefully the government will make the decision that will allow us to mix it up a bit, but we’ll wait and see what it is.

“And then I think that once we are through the Christmas period, if there has been a release and some socializing, we will all have to be very responsible and reduce those contacts again.”

She added: “We are very interested that we have as normal a Christmas as possible.

“That requires that we all do everything possible during this period of national restriction and even in early December to reduce cases to the minimum possible and reduce the risk of transmission within households and between families.

“The final decision, of course, will be up to the government and we hope to know what those plans are.”

Dame Angela McLean, Chief Scientific Advisor to the Defense Ministry, confirmed: “We sent out some advice over the weekend, but we really don’t know what decisions have been made.”

Dame Angela emphasized that she “had no idea” what the government would do. “We are advisers. We advise, they decide,” he said.

When asked if household mixing could be allowed if there were other offsets, Dame Angela said: “What’s really important is that we get into a festive week where we want to mingle with our friends and family with the number of infections. in the community as low as possible. “

It came as scientists gave an update on the status of the coronavirus in England in the middle of the four-week national lockdown.

The proportion of people testing positive continues to rise, standing at around 1 in 85 in the UK community, but less rapidly than in recent weeks.

The epidemic has continued to increase in the southwest and southeast.

Experts said at the briefing that the R number is not below 1 yet, but stressed that there was a “lag” in the data. That means “not a particular concern” yet, they said.

Stephen Powis, England’s NHS national medical director, said it “is starting to have an effect” in some areas, including the North West.

But he warned that 14,313 patents are on hospital beds, an increase of 1,444 in the space of about a week, and deaths continue to rise with 598 deaths in the UK reported on November 17.

Professor Powis said it was crucial to enter the “true heart of winter” with a “much smaller” number of Covid patients in hospitals.

Dr. Susan Hopkins, medical adviser on the response to Covid-19, said the number of people dying was higher than expected at this time of year, and the increase in excess mortality is “clearly worrying.”

SAGE elaborated the possible scenarios for Christmas in a document on October 28. If the virus remains “high and controlled”, there will be “little or no scope to loosen the rules of social distancing during Christmas.”

But if it falls to “low and controlled” levels, there will be scope for a temporary relaxation of the rules, SAGE said.

Commerce Secretary Alok Sharma told the BBC “I want my mom and dad to be here,” but added: “It’s too early to draw any conclusions.” He declined to say when the Christmas rules could be confirmed.

Before Christmas, England is expected to return to the “tiered” system of local closures from 2 December.

Dr. Hopkins previously warned that those levels might need to be “strengthened” compared to what they were in October, as Level 1 had not brought down the virus.

The NHS’s national medical director, Professor Stephen Powis, said he was self-isolating after a member of his household tested positive for coronavirus.

He said at the Downing Street briefing that he was asymptomatic and feeling fine, but that he would stay home and complete his period of self-isolation.

Professor Powis added: “I am on Zoom today, I cannot join you in Downing Street and that is because a member of my household recently tested positive for covid and following Test and Trace instructions I self isolate.

“I must say that I am completely asymptomatic and perfectly fine, but I will stay home until I have completed my period of isolation.”