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The coronavirus rules will be relaxed over Christmas across the UK under a plan to allow people to celebrate with their families.
The leaders of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland agreed that their respective restrictions should change to harmonize “for a small number of days” during the holiday period.
While details are still being worked out, the goal of allowing “additional domestic bubbling” was confirmed in a statement issued Sunday.
MPs will get a vote on new restrictions to replace England’s blockade
The prime minister is also working on the regional tier system that will come into effect when the national lockdown in England ends on December 2.
Boris Johnson will detail his winter strategy Monday afternoon and ministers will set what level each area will go into on Thursday.
What to expect at Christmas?
Multiple households – potentially three – could be allowed to create a bubble temporarily between December 24 and 28.
The plans could cover all four nations of the UK, according to reports.
Restrictions on religious services could also be lifted allowing Christmas Day services to be held.
The official confirmation of the goal of allowing families to see each other came in a statement from Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove following talks with leaders in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
“Ministers endorsed the shared goal of facilitating some limited additional household activities for a small number of days,” he said, adding that talks are also underway with the Irish government to allow the people of Northern Ireland to see their relatives living there.
But the public will be “warned to be cautious” and told that “whenever possible, people should avoid travel and minimize social contact,” said a statement from his department.
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‘There will be a price to pay for Christmas’
What will the new system be like (from December 2 to Christmas)?
The country will return to a three-tier regional restriction system, which was in effect from October 14 to November 5.
More areas are expected to enter the upper end of the tier system next month and while many measures will be similar to those in place previously, tiers will strengthen in some areas.
- Non-essential retail stores will be allowed to open at all three levels
- Gymnasiums will be allowed to open
- The curfew will be removed at 22:00 for pubs and restaurants
- A massive testing program will be launched in Level 3 areas, using the Army, such as the pilot program in Liverpool
Measures at levels 1, 2 and 3 of the UK blockade system
How long will the new system last?
The government is optimistic that restrictions may be lowered gradually in the lead-up to spring if regulators approve the vaccines, allowing roll-out to begin next month before a broader program in the new year.
But without vaccines being approved, the timeline is uncertain.
What was the original level system?
- Level 1 (medium): rule of six if meeting indoors or outdoors; pubs and restaurants close at 10 pm
- Level 2 (high): Indoor domestic mixes are not allowed; the rule of six applies outdoors; pubs and restaurants close at 10 pm
- Level 3 (Very High): Domestic mixes are not allowed indoors or in some outdoor spaces; pubs and bars that don’t serve meals are closed
Will Boris Johnson get his plan through the House of Commons?
A large group of conservatives will be glad that the most severe national lockdown is coming to an end, but 70 of them, called the “COVID Recovery Group” of secondary conservatives, have published a letter asking the prime minister to publish a “cost / benefit analysis” of the new system.
“We can no longer support this approach unless the government shows that the proposed post-December 2 restrictions … will save more lives than they cost,” they wrote.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak refused to commit to the lawsuit three times when interviewed at Sophy Ridge on Sunday, saying only: “It is correct that we look at all the impacts of the fight against coronavirus in the round and they are not just economic.”
