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England could face an additional lockdown of nearly a month in exchange for five days of release from restrictions over Christmas, it has been suggested.
Dr. Susan Hopkins, Medical Director of Test and Trace, noted that for each day that the rules are relaxed during the holiday period, two more may be needed under tougher measures to crack down again on the coronavirus.
Public Health England (PHE) later chimed in to say that Dr. Hopkins “got it wrong.”
A spokesperson said that the government’s advisory body, SAGE, actually indicated that each day of relaxation would potentially require five days of tighter restrictions.
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‘We want families to get together at Christmas’
The Sun reported that ministers are considering allowing families to choose a small number of homes they can socialize with indoors for five days, starting on Christmas Eve.
If that happens, then the country could have to endure an additional 25 days of restrictions, plus the cost of spreading COVID-19 to family members.
At a Downing Street briefing on Wednesday, Dr. Hopkins revealed that she expected the government to “allow some mixing” of households during Christmas.
But he suggested this would come at the cost of stricter rules before and after December 25, initially stating that every day of relaxed measures should be offset by two days of restrictions.
Within hours, PHE said it had been wrong and actually meant that “for each day of relaxation, it would potentially take five days of tighter restrictions,” modeled after government scientific advisers known as SAGE.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s spokesman said he has a “clear intention to allow families to spend Christmas together” but stressed that “it will not be normal.”
The plan being considered would mean there will be no household mixing when the nationwide shutdown ends in England on December 2, with all parts of the country under at least Level 2 restrictions, according to The Daily Telegraph.
When asked by Kay Burley about the plans Wednesday, Business Secretary Alok Sharma said it was too early to say exactly what the rules will be.
“Christmas, of course, will happen no matter what. I would love to have members of my family around, but we have to wait and see where we are,” he said.
Dr. Susan Hopkins suggested that stricter restrictions be imposed before and after Christmas.
The prime minister has repeatedly stated his intention to return England to a tiered system when the lockdown ends in two weeks, but Dr Hopkins said ministers are now working on “new tiers” after the low level of restrictions it was ineffective.
An announcement is expected next week.
People in Wales have been strongly advised not to mix with people they do not live indoors after their ‘circuit break’ lockout ended, and the same is expected in Northern Ireland once theirs finished this week.
In Scotland, Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced Tuesday that 11 local authority areas will undergo the toughest Level 4 measurements in the country from Friday through December 11.
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Hancock wants a ‘portfolio’ of vaccines
His deputy John Swinney told Kay Burley on Wednesday that the current rules “will allow all of us to proceed to enjoy and appreciate the connections we all want to have with family at Christmas.”
Reports that the first round of Pfizer / BioNTech vaccines That it could be rolled out in mid-December has raised hopes for a more “normal” Christmas, but a Downing Street spokesman told Sky News: “No decision has been made.”
Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick confirmed Tuesday that Parliament will vote on which system will be imposed in England beyond December 2.
Analysis: Christmas freedom creates a big hangover from confinement
By Rowland Manthorpe, Technology Correspondent
Boris Johnson likes to have his cake and eat it.
But a Christmas vacation during a pandemic is a situation where there are only tough decisions with little room for flexibility.
For one thing, if people move around and spend long periods of time together indoors, the cases will increase.
If that happens from a point where the prevalence is already high, as it is now, then the effects on health and life could be very serious.
On the other hand, families across the country are determined to see each other over the holidays, and the retailers that take most of their profits during the holiday season are desperate to open their doors to customers.
The prime minister and his advisers will have hoped that a blockade in November would reduce the outbreak enough to create respite through December.
While there are some signs that cases and hospital admissions are beginning to stabilize, they are still at a high level. There are few signs that security is coming soon.
It is always possible to look back and see decisions that could have been made differently.
What if the last great movement of people, students going to college, had stayed online? What would this election look like if the government had introduced a circuit breaker lockout during the October semester?
But looking ahead, it’s hard to see an obvious resolution.
Whatever the final decision, it is clear that the way you communicate is important.
Behavioral scientists have repeatedly warned that leaks and briefings about future plans get in the way of compliance. A clear and decisive intervention could make the best of this situation.
Otherwise, it is very possible that we will find ourselves locked in again in January.
Susan Hopkins’ comments today suggest that a five-day Christmas would turn into a 25-day lockdown in January.
That, from any point of view, is an incredible hangover.
