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?

@Washimal

If they did that they would have to extend the same exemption to other religions to allow them to celebrate important holidays with their loved ones too.

They did. Strict measures just before eid a few months back.

No , you can't tell the virus to go away for a week or so can you. Six months means exactly that .

Pickles,

It is obvious now. They lead us by the nose and promise everything. But realistically the end December/Jan period is very dangerous for the spread of many infectious bugs. The NHS need to be able to cope with that.

I am not an ogre, I totally understand that people want (at last) to see their families for a happy get together. But unfortunately Christmastime is the worst time of the year for gatherings indoors.

Just postpone Christmas until end March and introduce another Bank Holiday or something to compensate.

But Christmas will happen, some will see the dangers of gatherings many will not.

@Washimal

If they did that they would have to extend the same exemption to other religions to allow them to celebrate important holidays with their loved ones too.

Political correctness gone mad..when you compare all other religious festivals they just pale in comparison to the levels of the population that celebrate xmas. I'm an Athiest so what do you suppose they do with me?

@BabyLlamaZen

They have had to absolutely tank the economy for this horrible virus, it's not like it's all a game and Christmas we'll get a break. Maybe people will really really lock themselves down for a few months before so we are OK to?! But that involves the public not being selfish. Hmm.

I don't think it is selfish to not want to "really really lockdown".

I would rather have a semi normal life for the rest of the year, than a hard lockdown for 3 months and then a weeks reprieve for christmas.

I don't care one way or another about Christmas. People can still enjoy it with their children (or if there is just two of you), as long as you have enough food and have bought presents in advance. For some people it will be better!

I doubt that any of them will sneak off anywhere over Christmas. The press will be all over them watching their every move!
First sniff of an MP going abroad or something it'll be a blood bath!

I guess it doesn’t matter , it’s either be “safe” or it won’t by that regardless of whether the government “ let us “ or not . So I imagine that people will do it regardless if they want .

Il be at work Anyway which I’m kind of glad about since this year is such a write off

By that time *

I think it would be a wonderful thing if they could permit families to host a single guest. I'd hate to think of people sitting alone if they didn't want to.

Fizzy

I'm shocked at your attitude. You are normally so sensible. It's true but I really how you won't add to the numbers.

The way I see it, if restrictions are lifted in ANY WAY to do with Christmas, this thing has been a farce.

If they're lifted because cases are down or we've all been vaccinated, great.

But if they somehow come up with a 24hr lift, or 3 days or whatever, what's the point? That's just making everyone in the sodding country travel and mix, and we'll be up again with cases, and life being disrupted in other ways while we try to get them back down. Add alcohol and general merriment into the mix and it's clear that Christmas is not an event well matched to social distancing, so it's pointless to assume anything other than families hugging and kissing on the day.

If it's safe to remove restrictions 'for Christmas', then what the hell are we doing now? Covid is either dangerous or it's not. If it's bad enough for all the restrictions that are in place right now, then IMO it should take priority over Christmas.

If it's not, and it's seen as safe to disregard regs just because it's Christmas then it's clearly not as bad as they're making out and they may as well get back to normal sooner rather than later.

Unless we've really got a grip on this thing, a lift over the Christmas period just makes a mockery of everything we've worked towards with these restrictions.

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I think they will probably stick to the rule of 6 and just recommend a quieter than normal Christmas. That will bring huge problems for me, as me and my partner always go to our respective families for Christmas Day. Mine would be fine (6 exactly!), but my partner's family is too big and the way I see it working out would leave him on his own .. which of course I wouldn't allow so we'd probably just have the day to ourselves and then visit people in smaller groups later on.

I wouldn't see why. Lockdown wasn't eased during Easter. Or Eid.
Why choose one festival over another

No, bit I'm sure the 'Christians' will be less compliant than those who missed out on Eid.

I think the government will ease the restrictions and for those saying, what about other religions, I don't think this government gives a shit about anything other than middle age white men and how to get more money into their pockets.

As for political suicide, they keep on doing it, the British public keep voting them in. They have nothing to worry about.

@greengreengrass14

No. Six months from now as they were saying today is March.

There might be a truce for Christmas Day.

LindaEllen

Perfectly said. I know many will disagree but I don't. We will get over it and protect so many from infection by staying put just for one year.

As you say, we can all visit in very small groups over the Christmas holiday in hopeful safety for everyone.

But I don't see much compliance happening tbh.

I think they will be not because of any scientific rationale, but because there will be widespread flouting which it will be impossible to police. The government will lose considerable face if this happens, so politically it makes more sense to try and make it look like they were ok with it.

If you couldn't get people to go one summer without a foreign holiday, good luck getting them to lockdown on Christmas Day.

New Year will be interesting. Will they keep the pubs shut from 10pm and have the police enforce any house parties are shut down?

No.

The NHS is ALWAYS in dire straits in January.

A&Es don't need all of the Christmas party drunks this year.

You can still buy presents. You can still have a meal with your household. There will be TV. Single people can bubble with others. No sign of power shortages, water cut-offs, war, starvation, natural disasters. For anyone that's very anxious, there's plenty of time to prepare.

It'll just be a different Christmas.

I guess my grandmother had 6 'different' Christmases during the war when my grandfather was away fighting and she didn't know whether he was alive or dead. She was waking up each morning glad that the house was still in one piece.

No, for the opposite reason than a lot of other people have said! Cases will go up after Christmas due to households mixing. The government can either take the blame for it, if they’ve endorsed that mixing, or they can blame the public for it, if they’ve banned it and it’s been flouted. The last thing they are willing to do is raw any responsibility.

*take any responsibility...

It all depends on what the rate of infections and cases are at the time. In the unlikely event that they have dropped to very low levels they might lift some restrictions. I don't see it happening, but you never know.

No Christmas parties is probably a good thing. On balance new years eve will have to be clamped down on hard to ensure no parties (rule of 6).

January and February are quiet months anyway.