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Boris Johnson hopes to join his latest offensive against COVID in more good spirits, having saved Christmas by allowing families to gather in a festive bubble.
He is presenting a new plan to combat the pandemic that he hopes will not only save lives during the winter, but also prevent a revolt of the Commons by rebel Conservative MPs.
The prime minister is publishing a COVID Winter Plan, which will include tough new restrictions in England in December, but a hiatus of up to five days for Christmas.
But despite the restrictions, as it will replace England’s national lockdown when it ends on December 2, Johnson will announce:
- Non-essential retail stores will be allowed to open, in a boost for holiday shoppers, and Main Street
- Gyms will also be allowed to open, so the nation doesn’t gain weight in the run-up to Christmas.
- The 10pm curfew will be lifted for pubs and restaurants, which critics say did more harm than good
- And a massive testing program will be launched in Level 3 areas, using the Army, like the recent pilot program in Liverpool.
In a Commons statement, Johnson is not expected to confirm how many households will be able to bubble together at Christmas or how long the breaking of restrictions will last. That is scheduled for the next day.
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The blockage will ease over Christmas
But ministers are working on plans for three homes and a five-day break, from Christmas Eve to Dec. 28, subject to agreement by the governments of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The massive coronavirus testing program will be launched in the areas facing the most severe restrictions, at Level 3, using the Liverpool model, which the government says has been a success.
In announcing the testing program, the prime minister is expected to tell MPs: “People’s disinterest in following the rules is making a difference.
“The virus is not spreading as fast as it would if we did not wash our hands, maintain social distance, wear masks, etc.
“And in England, where nationwide measures went into effect earlier this month, the increase in new cases is stabilizing.
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‘There will be a price to pay for Christmas’
“But we are not out of the woods yet. The virus is still present in communities across the country and is still much more infectious and much more deadly than seasonal flu.”
“But with the expansion of testing and vaccines nearing deployment, the regional tiered system will help bring the virus back under control and keep it there.”
Plans for a Christmas break from restrictions were announced after talks over the weekend with the prime ministers of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, Nicola Sturgeon, Mark Drakeford and Arlene Foster.
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The government is proposing “some limited additional domestic bubbling for a few days.” But the public is urged to remain cautious and avoid travel whenever possible.
But a few hours after the Cabinet Office announced the announcement of the holiday break, the Scottish government stated: “No agreement has been reached and discussions are continuing.”
The dispute may be related to the dates of the holidays. Last week, Scotland’s Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon said that for some Scottish families, Hogmanay would be more important than Christmas.
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Companies fear the return of the tier system
“For many, bringing in the new year is very important,” he said. “For some families in Scotland, that may be the time when they get together, even more so than Christmas, so we need to factor that into our planning and we need to think about the entire festive period.
In the Commons, Johnson will also face harsh criticism from a growing number of Conservative MPs of his plans to reimpose the three-tiered restrictions in England that were in effect from Oct. 14 to Nov. 5.
Although the prime minister will reaffirm his promise to end England’s national blockade, many Conservative MPs are furious at the government’s plans to tighten restrictions and place more areas at levels 2 and 3.
The Covid Recovery Group of Conservative MPs, led by former ministers Mark Harper and Steve Baker, has written to the prime minister threatening to vote against the three-tier system when voting in the Commons.
“We cannot live under such damaging lockdowns and seemingly arbitrary restrictions and expect our constituents to be grateful that they are let out to enjoy the holiday season only to have strict restrictions placed on them later that cause health problems and destroy their livelihoods, “they wrote.
When the Commons voted on the current lockdown earlier this month, 32 Tory MPs and two scrutineers rebelled to oppose the measures and 17 more, including former Prime Minister Theresa May, abstained.
