Do you think lockdown will be lifted for Christmas?

[BlusteryShowers]

I can't help but feel quietly confident that there will be an announcement some time in December allowing an easing of lockdown measures for a short period over Christmas.

I propose that the govt suspect many would flout rules any way, so they may as well make it Part Of The Plan and take credit for their benevolence.

The timing of the announcement would be interesting. The spending that goes into Christmas is huge and lots of businesses rely on it. Can we even afford a very very low key Christmas?

Does anyone else think this?

@TantieTowie how utterly depressing. Zoom is a shit substitute for actual human contact.

Yes though with no rigour so endangering people will infuriating some muslims who recall what was imposed around one of the Edes.

I'll not be changing any plans unless someone is ill of course.
We have 5 for dinner and then us five visit another 4 consisting of 2 adults and two children.
Boxing day we'll see a family of 4 2 adults 2 kids, (different family to xmas day), and two grandparents.
Unless there's a soldier guarding my home, we'll continue, thanks.
Don't really care what others decide tbh.

How many are actually ill and dying now?
Hospitals are empty, do you think we're being had?

Remember last Christmas? Many on here were giving accounts of some bloody awful bug that floored them and members of their families around that time, not saying it was Covid but does it matter?

Then there is the flu season, the bug season, the cold season, the chest infection season and so on. The NHS will have enough to deal with this Winter of all Winters.

But off you go and spread it around in a warm fuggy house with all the windows closed and the heat on full blast with all your family. Sounds like a petrie dish to me.

I'd much prefer to be able to get away with family for a few days around Easter time in safety with plenty of opportunity to be outdoors, and the nights will be getting brighter too. Have to stay positive!

I should imagine by Christmas we will be more restricted than we are now. And I will be complying with whatever is recommended, like the vast majority of people. We will still have a great time even if it is just within our small household of three.

It’s not that much of an issue, single adults can bubble so they don't have to spend Christmas alone

This is nice in theory - but I'm mid twenties, my brother has bubbled with his family as he's far more in need than I am, and I live 100 miles away. Yes, I can bubble with a friend - but either I have to invade someone else's family Christmas (awkward, since the friend I'm currently bubbled with a) doesn't celebrate Christmas and b) I've never met her family) or... well, that's sort of the option isn't it. Have it alone or with someone else's family.

I recognise most people DO celebrate Christmas so I'm in a minority with that bubble, but not all of us are actually close enough to another local family that having Christmas with them wouldn't feel like a huge imposition.

And this thread shows why everyone has to suffer for the actions of a few.

Some of the best people spent Christmas in a barn and spent nothing at all.

And there was no need to worry about the restaurant or inn closing at 10 as they were sleeping in an outhouse with the animals...

Impossible to say at this point. Cases are rising really fast right now and when this happened in March the govt were massively criticised for not reacting fast enough. So this time they're reacting fast. Who the fuck knows what the situation will be next week, next month or by Christmas?

Some of the best people spent Christmas in a barn and spent nothing at all.

Plenty of visitors swinging by with fancy gifts though!

It doesn’t matter that nobody is supposed to be in hospital at the moment. Although they actually are.

It is an absolute fact that the biggest stress on the NHS happens in the weeks immediately after Christmas. They even refer to the 2nd Monday in January as Black Monday. This is without Covid.

If you really think allowing everyone to relax at Christmas won’t end in disaster then you are really not getting it.

@Devlesko so if you happen to be an asymptomatic spreader over Christmas, you will at minimum be risking 11 people getting sick, or assuming all those families and grandparents see a similar number of others, 30+ people, and assuming they might indovially catch other friends and family over the next week, 100+ people.

Yet people are still.wondering if we'll get a Christmas miracle reprieve.

Ffs

Many Christmases were ruined by WW2 , but my mum said that they made the most of it. People will have to try work around things. It's shit , but it's hopefully one Christmas only and 2021 will be much better. There is zoom at least.
I feel for people who always have big family meals and lots going on but maybe they will be able to do this in the summer next year instead? The hospitality sections will be hit hard by Christmas restrictions which is sad too.

So the govt can either look like they've failed or embrace it.

Bollocks. The government will never take the view that they may as well go with it because people are doing it anyway. They are more likely to keep restrictions and factor in a larger percentage of covidiots than usual to the modelling.

I guess the probably hope it will be possible to allow some limited mixing of households by xmas but depends on the figures.

It won’t be a normal Christmas this year. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if there was a no mixing households rule implemented.

The number of suicides over Christmas will be much higher this year
Having realised that my life as I knew it has gone, it might be the only option left by Christmas

It would be appalling if they made a exception for Christmas. What message would that send out to people of other faiths?

Whether they say we can or not I will be seeing my parents. I'll factor the fine into the Christmas budget.

And I won't be the only one

I have no idea whether restrictions will be lifted, but one thing I am sure of - that Cummings, Johnson, Gove and all the rest will have absolutely no compunction at sneaking off to Italy/for eye tests etc etc for the Christmas period.

Do as we say, not as we do.

And I won't be the only person who thinks that.

I won't be the only person who, even if BoZo live-streams himself on Christmas Day sitting in a sealed room alone at No 10, will think 'Yeah fucking LIAR'.

And that's why even if restrictions aren't eased, people will do whatever they like, and it will be impossible to police.

Thanks to this govt's hypocrisy alongside the corrosive little shitbag that is Cummings, disrespecting the official advice is practically the admirable thing to do.

@Itsabeautifuldayheyhey they didn’t make an exception for Easter, which is more important to Christians (of which I am one) than Christmas from a religious aspect. It was shit but we understood then, things aren’t that bad now and with restrictions from now until December I hope they won’t be anything like they were at Easter.

Iremembertheelderlykoreanlady well let's hope you don't give them a dose of Covid as an extra surprise Christmas present then.

Personally, I value the safety of my mum more than that.

It would be appalling if they made a exception for Christmas. What message would that send out to people of other faiths?

That's a good point - particularly when they locked down Leeds just before Eid!

Sorry, Leicester, not Leeds. Begins with L ...