[ad_1]
Progress has been made on a UK-wide plan to relax COVID-19 restrictions over Christmas, as national leaders have agreed to allow domestic mixing “for a small number of days.”
Cabinet Minister Michael Gove held talks with the prime ministers of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland on Saturday, with the government hoping to agree on a “four-nation” approach to the Christmas season.
Despite not agreeing on a final set of regulations, the government says ministers have “endorsed the shared goal of facilitating a little extra domestic bubbling for a small number of days.”
In a statement issued Sunday night, No. 10 added: “The public will be advised to be cautious and that whenever possible people should avoid travel and minimize social contact.”
He said talks are underway with the Irish government on travel across the Northern Ireland border and that all arrangements are expected to be finalized this week.
Use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
‘There will be a price to pay for Christmas’
The news confirmed a story published by Sky News. Yesterday that coronavirus restrictions in the UK would be relaxed by Christmas.
The Daily Mail and The Sun reported that up to four households would be allowed to mix for up to five days, but Downing Street has denied that the prime minister will reveal how many households could be mixed and for how long when he presents his “COVID Winter Plan” on Monday. .
A Scottish government spokesman gave few details about the talks across the UK, saying only: “No agreement has been reached and discussions are continuing.”
Boris Johnson, who is he still isolated in downing street, chaired a rare Cabinet meeting Sunday afternoon, and on Monday he will make a Commons statement and publish his “COVID Winter Plan.”
It will confirm that England’s national lockdown will end on December 2, but the country will revert to a three-tiered system of regional restrictions, which was in effect from October 14 to November 5.
Downing Street has also confirmed that while some local measures will be similar to those in place previously, levels will be strengthened in some areas to safeguard the gains made during the national shutdown.
Use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
No 10 ‘psychodramas’ delayed the COVID-19 fight
Ministers will announce on Thursday which areas of England will be at each tier, but the government has signaled that more areas will be at higher tiers to keep the virus under control and avoid another national shutdown.
Professor Calum Semple, a member of the government advisory body SAGE, told Sky’s Sophy Ridge on Sunday that “hopefully” some rules could be relaxed over Christmas “for a few days,” but added: “There will be a price for that.”
He said he broadly agreed with the idea. floated by Public Health England earlier this week, for each day of looser restrictions, an additional five blackout days may be required.
However, he said that no assumptions should be made about how strict the rules could be if additional days are added, and said that it does not necessarily mean “draconian restrictions.”
