[ad_1]
Boris Johnson has said that all the nations of the United Kingdom have reached a “unanimous agreement” to go ahead with the rules foreseen for the Christmas bubble.
However, the prime minister added that people should “exercise a high degree of personal responsibility” if they spend time with family during the holiday period.
COVID-19 updates live from the UK and around the world
Christmas plans allowed to go ahead, amid surge in coronavirus cases
It comes after a phone call between Westminster and the decentralized nations, which took place amid mounting pressure on the government to eliminate the flexibility of the COVID-19 rules over Christmas.
In Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQ), Mr. Johnson said: “While some things are certainly going well … we must remember that transmission occurs asymptomatically in many cases.
“We must be extremely cautious in the way we celebrate Christmas; we can celebrate it sensibly, but we must be extremely cautious in the way we conduct ourselves.
“We do not want to criminalize the plans that people have made for a long time, but we believe that it is absolutely vital that people, at this very difficult time, exercise a high degree of personal responsibility, especially when they come into contact with older people, and they avoid contact with older people whenever possible. “
Under the rules, up to three households will be able to form “Christmas bubbles” for five days beginning December 23 in homes and places of worship.
However, although the prime minister said there had been a four-nation agreement on the Christmas council, both Wales and Scotland seemed less enthusiastic.
Use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
‘Only two households should meet at Christmas’
Welsh Prime Minister Mark Drakeford warned that only two households should Being able to “form an exclusive Christmas bubble”, in a slight break with Westminster.
When asked if he was breaking ranks with England, Drakeford said the result of the four-nation meeting has yet to be released and he cannot offer further advice until today.
Scottish Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon, meanwhile, told a briefing that she “hoped” there would be a UK-wide agreement on the rules, and that Scotland would strengthen its guidance to people on “if and how they use flexibility. “.
However, Sturgeon admitted that “it would not be fair at this stage and it would not be realistic” to change the regulations on Christmas mixing.
He also urged people who have yet to make holiday plans to stay home as one home whenever possible.
Boris Johnsons, along with Medical Director Chris Whitty, will host a press conference in Downing Street later today.
Sky’s political correspondent Tom Rayner said it was “intriguing” that Johnson did not deliver the Christmas news at the start of PMQ and instead waited until the Labor leader questioned him about it.
“This allowed Boris Johnson to do two things: accuse Keir Starmer of wanting to ‘cancel Christmas’ and point out that the Welsh government, which is of course a Labor government, had accepted the position,” he said.
During the weekend, NHS providers expressed concern for current Christmas plans, which he argued could lead to a third wave of infections in the new year.
Those comments were echoed by medical and scientific figures across the UK, along with Labor leader Sir Keir Starmer.
