The 23rd is too early to start the Christmas bubble

[PinkPlantCase]

I like I’m sure many other people are expected to work a half day on Christmas Eve. The Christmas shut down then runs through the full gap from Christmas to new year (very lucky I know that the office actually closes).

I don’t see why they could have shifted the 5 days to start on Christmas Eve! Can anyone shed light on this logic?

The extra day after Christmas to stay with family we haven’t seen for a long time that we have to travel a long way to reach would have made a difference.

I will do exactly what I’m told but I’m a bit worried about how crowded the motorways will be during those 5 days and it means just one set of parents for us as a family rather than seeing both sets. Maybe they is why it has been done and the 5 days was chosen to deliberately limit multiple family muxongZ that is the reason tbh. 5 days allows some mixing.

I maybe stupid... But does this five days for Christmas over ride the tiers??? Cus if your in tier 2 and 3 you can't mix indoors..

Plus another stupid question.. The posters saying they haven't seen anyone in their family since March.. Why not? When the first lockdown ended we were allowed to see people... If it was because your mum/dad/granny etc is vulnerable surely spending Christmas with them and potentially other people there too is huge risk. If you have protected them so far by not seeing them why do it now?

Travelling I suppose.
DP finishes on the 22nd through to the new year which would be fine but we're not meeting with anyone anyway. I'd hate to work Christmas Eve!

@Doryhunky

People need time to get home for xmas eve and public transport starts running down on xmas eve.

Yes I think this is likely to be the reason.

The government doesn't actually want anyone to mix at Christmas. So there's no particular advantage to attempting to work out what range of dates would suit the maximum of people.

This is the reason. DP and I are both working Christmas Eve too.

@Theredjellybean

I maybe stupid... But does this five days for Christmas over ride the tiers??? Cus if your in tier 2 and 3 you can't mix indoors..

Plus another stupid question.. The posters saying they haven't seen anyone in their family since March.. Why not? When the first lockdown ended we were allowed to see people... If it was because your mum/dad/granny etc is vulnerable surely spending Christmas with them and potentially other people there too is huge risk. If you have protected them so far by not seeing them why do it now?

I haven't seem my family since last Christmas. Partly because they are hundreds of miles away meaning I don't usually see hem very often anyway,but mainly because they are in Wales and the Welsh rules have never allowed indoor mixing unless in am extended household. I'm not in their extended household so can't go inside their house, and it's much too far to go there for an outside meeting/walk.

We have to get MIL who is 84 to us for Christmas. She usually comes by train on 23rd. 500 mile round trip to collect her. She has had a very bad lockdown. I believe we are not restricted to the five days because she is in our support bubble.

Everyone's circs are different op.

@Theredjellybean it does override tiers. Remember that some people would have missed out on seeing their family because of the tier system. In areas like Manchester and Leicester restrictions never really went away.

We managed to see family in the summer but from September we were in tier 2 and couldn’t mix with other households.

@SpillingTheTea I also hate to work Christmas Eve 😂 on previous years I’ve managed to save enough A/L to cover the half day but this year I had to use leave days for university lectures so don’t have enough.

@ArtieFufkinPolymerRecords

They are not trying to facilitate everyone meeting up with all of their family for five whole days, they are providing a window of opportunity of five days when family members can get together, in some way. It won't suit everyone and it's not compulsory, but it allows some freedom to meet up. The problem is some people think if it doesn't allow them to have their normal Christmas, then it's no good.

Completely this.

I've just been reading the new rules and as I understand it if my area goes to Tier 1 next week and my DB's area is also Tier 1 - we can still meet up as a group of 6

But not inside between the 23rd and 27th where you can only meet people in your Christmas bubble (you can still meet outside as Rule of 6).

@tigger001

Maybe they are allowing time for people who will insist on travelling out of the cities to their home towns.

Or maybe this government actually doesn't really give a shit about "its people" and just do as they please that suit them and probably Boris Johnson or Matt Hancock has a family gathering on the 23rd and would hate to miss it and will prefer to do it within the restriction, if possible.

Many a true word is spoken in jest. But I got a gut feeling on this, and it turns out Boris's brother Jo has his birthday on the 23rd.

If Wikipedia is true.
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jo_Johnson

I'm sure it's a coincidence...

@Writerandreader - I don't only stick to rules if the police will be called if I don't!

We've had this exact conversation in work today.

My only guess is the government like to do things almost right but fuck it up entirely at the same time

This is an amazing theory.

I think it's to allow for travel time. I don't know anyone who works Xmas Eve either but I'm in education

@GooseWhiskers

I was wondering this exact same thing just now!

My only guess is the government like to do things almost right but fuck it up entirely at the same time.

My guess is that whatever this government does will give someone an excuse to kick them, the global pandemic was handled so much better in the past, wasn't it! Can you imagine the outcry had they said there will be no relaxation for Christmas.

Given that there are no covid police, you applying the same rules on a different 5 days over xmas is hardly going to make a difference.