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Millions of families were thrown into Christmas turmoil today as the government told them to consider eliminating festive gatherings with elderly and vulnerable relatives.
Despite the fact that many bought travel tickets and asked for giant turkeys, a cabinet minister proposed to postpone his plans for large gatherings, saying: “Easter may be the new Christmas.” Robert Jenrick said that now all families should have “breakfast table conversations” in the last hour and decide whether it is really safe to expose grandparents to young people who could carry the virus.
Boris Johnson also urged people to “exercise extreme caution” when celebrating Christmas. It came when he told MPs that the four nations of the United Kingdom have agreed to continue “in principle” with the relaxation of restrictions on the coronavirus during Christmas.
The government rejected requests to cancel the Christmas relaxation of Covid laws, despite new warnings from scientists and doctors that infections will increase.
The new tips make families responsible for deciding what is safe for their loved ones. That includes considering whether a Christmas with older relatives is sensible, as well as staying local if possible.
Linda Bauld, a professor of public health at the University of Edinburgh, said she would have preferred a U-turn “to avoid the preventable deaths that we are going to have in January as a result of this.” As an alternative, Christmas celebrations should be conducted in the “most modest way possible.”
Professor Graham Medley, chair of the Scientific Pandemic Influenza Modeling Group (SPI-M) advising the government, said that people face individual risk of infecting their loved ones with Covid and contributing to the possibility of the NHS be “invaded”. He told the BBC Radio 4 Today program: “I am not going to see my mother at Christmas. We decide it mutually, but it is possible that he will see one of my children. “
Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham told Sky News: “I am listening to ministers now this morning using the phrase ‘Easter is the new Christmas.’ Now they really run the risk of getting very, very confused … this has to be clarified today. ”
Formal talks with the decentralized administrations of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland resumed, amid speculation that travel between some countries or regions may be restricted. Although the Westminster government will not change England’s laws, one source said that the four nations of the UK may end up with slightly different approaches.
Vaccine Minister Nadhim Zahawi said 137,897 people have received the vaccine so far. He said it was a “very good start”, although at least 800,000 shots of the Pfizer vaccine have been administered.
The confusing picture, with seven days to go before the law’s easing, follows two leading medical journals that say the meetings “would cost many lives.” The British Medical Association echoed Labor leader Sir Keir Starmer in demanding an urgent review.
Jenrick said her own parents, in their eighties, had decided to cancel plans to attend a big reunion with their family. He said others might consider doing the same, especially since the Covid-19 vaccine will be available to seniors in the coming months.
“Why not wait and get the family back together in 2021?” I ask.
Jenrick said Christmas freedoms would still be available because “you can’t legislate for all eventualities.” He continued: “People have to decide and, in my experience, people are more than capable of coming to such sensible judgments for themselves.”
He pointed to the “very dire consequences” in the US, where there was a surge after families gathered for traditional Thanksgiving turkey meals.
He told Sky: “This is a virus that thrives on social interaction, so bringing more people together, even during this short period of time, is not free. It will have consequences in terms of increasing the rate. Will stand up “.
But he insisted: “I think it’s right that we leave that to individual families to get to trial.” Challenged today if the decision to keep the Christmas laws intact was a political hoax, he replied, “Absolutely not. We have consistently made difficult decisions during the pandemic. ”
He proposed that families could meet virtually at Christmas, noting that “other religions, for example, have done it, be it for Diwali, Ramadan, Easter, and they have succeeded.”
With cases on the rise in London, Professor Medley said: “The main driver of the amount of transmission that occurs during Christmas is the prevalence in that period.” The expert from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine explained that people faced the individual risk of infecting their loved ones with Covid and contributing to the possibility of the NHS being ‘invaded’ in the coming weeks, emphasizing that “We don’t have much headroom.” ”.
