What are the chances of Doris saying no house mingling at Christmas?

[MrsKingfisher]

What does everyone think? Will he lift restrictions for Christmas goodwill to all men and all that or will he tell us not to mingle unless you have to mingle then only mingle with 1 other household?

Problem is if there is loads of mingling at Christmas, schools could be absolutely buggered in the January term. I think he will be loathe to cancel Christmas but I wonder whether there will be a partial lockdown straight after for 2 weeks. So anyone visiting on Christmas Day has to self isolate for 2 weeks and possibly stay at the house they are guests at, so may limit who is invited. Schools only open after 2 weeks. Students have to stay home until the 2 weeks are up. Non essential shops and services close, same with hospitality. People have to WFH if possible. No meeting households after Christmas Day. No non essential travel. Hopefully this might stop huge transmission of the virus.

Then after 2 weeks many of these restrictions can be relaxed and we can celebrate Brexit in style

I've assumed they would.

Personally I'd ignore/bend the rules, but my other family members I'd normally spend it with are very anxious despite not being vulnerable, and will stick rigidly to any rules. More work for me as my DSis/DMum usually love taking turns to host.

What will Dominic Cummings be doing I wonder?

Seriously I reckon on 15 December Johnson will tell us all how he has saved Christmas snd we can carry on as normal - and then blame us all for any post Christmas spike.

No meeting households after Christmas Day

That'll go down like a bucket of cold sick in Scotland, where higmampnay is just as (arguably more) important than Chrustmas.

OTOH - having a proper 12 days of Christmas cocooned with your family could be an interesting departure

Hogmanay FFS!

(My keyboard really does have a mind of its own sometimes)

If things havent improved hell make some kind of people-pleasing gesture like allowing gatherings of up to 10 people for the day.

Doris really suits him.

Surely he can't let us all meet for Christmas.... It wouldn't be very PC if he announced any easing of restrictions when he didn't do the same for the likes of Eid and doesn't plan to for Diwali.

I think they'll tell us to follow the guidelines but not actively enforce like they did with Eid, knowing there's a huge chance people will do their own thing and mix over the Christmas period.

The original Nando's scale never got below 3? Even though some of the relaxations (eg pausing shielding) were originally envisaged as happening at 1 or low 2

Now we're on 4, I think it wouid be important to restrict non-essential travel between regions, and simultaneous/near simultaneous contact between multiple households (so no dodges of going in and out)

If we can get back down to 3 by mid-December, then I think more contact should be allowed.

But they don't seem to be making much use of the scale (bit like the 5 tests which vanished without a trace)