Telegraph tomorrow, Christmas relaxed

[MummaPI]

Just seen the front page on the telegraph but can't read online with subscribing.
Says Boris to announce Christmas rules next week but likely to be 21st-28th.
My first thought was "I don't normally see people every day for this long at Christmas anyway!!"
If anyone can read it and add more info, that would be great. I know its nothing definite but there has been a habit of leaving to the press before announcing.

Hi I have a trial to that website, here is the link and some more info..

www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2020/11/20/families-set-week-freedom-christmas-easing-covid-restrictions/

Boris Johnson prepares to announce relaxation of rules from December 22 to 28, allowing several families to join one 'bubble'

Next week, Mr Johnson is expected to outline a "four nations" plan for Christmas, setting out proposals for families to spend up to seven days together. Government sources said it would be "inconceivable" that families would not be allowed to attend Christmas church services, with talks between the nations on the details of the plans.

Rishi Sunak, the Chancellor, is understood to have pushed for the freedoms to be introduced several days before Christmas, starting on December 22, to allow pubs and restaurants to enjoy some "normal days" of trade before the holiday.

A Whitehall source said consideration had been given to lifting restrictions on December 24 but it was feared that would not give businesses enough time to benefit from pre-Christmas footfall.

@PullTheBricksDown

Yet another important announcement of national policy made via a newspaper website with a paywall. This government behaves disgracefully.

More kite flying, Bojo will see the public's reaction and then adjust policy accordingly.

He really is the worst possible type of PM we could have at this time of national crisis... 5th worst death toll in the world, worst in europe and all he can think off is his popularity.

People like Whitty should resign if he relaxes restrictions just because of xmas

School holidays start the 18th here so that is to much time before the break.

Are they intending to combine this with the vaccine by mid December I wonder.

That is awful if true. I’m all for relaxation at Christmas, I want to see my family. But 2 days surely, not 8? That would mean so much mixing it would be too difficult to mitigate unless there’s a really long lockdown after.

I imagine the leak is just manipulation so that we all go "oh no ,this is madness " and are softened up for a much shorter relaxation of 2 days .

Can imagine if they suddenly open everything the week before it would be madly busy surely. Oh I'm not sure what to think. I don't think sudden changes are that helpful.

2 / 3 days is plenty.
Enough time for those who are ill / alone to have some sort of company and plenty for the rest of us.

@NoddyMcPintsAlot
Yes NI, sorry. Not good at typing when I'm tired!

I hope not. I do not want to pay for this with more lockdowns in January and February!

@Ted27

Even if there is a ‘Christmas break’ its not compulsory to spend 7 days with your family having wild parties

Its a window - I would probably go to my parents one day, come back the next and carry on with an otherwise quiet Christmas

No it isn’t compulsory to do so - but it will be compulsory to comply with the enhanced restrictions imposed for January to make up for the many who do.

@peridito

I imagine the leak is just manipulation so that we all go "oh no ,this is madness " and are softened up for a much shorter relaxation of 2 days .

I hope this is true. 2 would be much more sensible

I'm a teacher and we finish term on 18th, my kids both finish on 21st. That means some families could be going from mixing with many many vectors, to mixing with vulnerable family members within a day or so. Frightening.

I’m just going to throw it out there that some studies have found evidence of covid from September 2019 and countless people I know personally and have seen recount on here say how they think they had it in their homes, workplaces and schools in December last year and January at the start of this year.
Christmas was celebrated as usual and so was New Years Eve and yet apparently no noticeable rise in respiratory infections or deaths?
There will be another lockdown anyway so this is all just propaganda to set the general public up to believe that it is the selfish people daring to see their own family and friends that have caused it and not just the inevitable event it is anyway already planned by a government determined to continue on this damaging path of life restrictions and business closures. Before anybody starts I know it’s all to prevent hospitals being overwhelmed but the cure is now firmly worse than the disease for an ever growing number of reasons.

So is covid not catching at Christmas?

We're planning on a quiet Christmas. Followed by vaccination. Followed by mega family out of season Christmas.

We're not religious. If the family get together is delayed a couple of months, so be it. I haven't avoided contact since March just to give my mum covid a few weeks before she gets the vaccine.

2/3 days does not allow any travel time. If that was our allowance then out of the 3 people we want to see, we’d see at most 2, and only for a matter of hours. If that- think about how much of a nightmare the roads are usually at Christmas, and then imagine that everyone has no choice but to all travel in the same day. It’s going to be gridlock!!

I'm more concerned about a government dictating what we are allowed to do in our private lives.
I never thought I'd see that in the UK

@mrsanflowerpot

I'm a teacher and we finish term on 18th, my kids both finish on 21st. That means some families could be going from mixing with many many vectors, to mixing with vulnerable family members within a day or so. Frightening.

Our schools don't finish until December 23rd!

One of the three people I NEED to see is 70 and 300miles away.
The other is 80 and 350miles away.
The other is 73 and 2 hours by car.

But I accept that I simply can't this year, pre-vaccination as otherwise what was the point of all the sacrifices we've made all year?

Another factor to consider for those worried about the after effects of a relaxed Christmas is the sensibility factor. As demonstrated on threads like these, for every family including vulnerable members that do decide to get together and enjoy themselves, there are at least ten families who seem to have already planned not to see their older relatives. This will surely reduce the January level of infections somewhat.

This is an absolute disgrace. How much lockdown and missed education will there be to pay for this madness? So covid is having a week off over Xmas it’s ok for me to take my school age kids to visit my ecv mother in law as suddenly she won’t be certain to die if she catches covid?? Because I m not thick and selfish obviously we won’t visit them but there are plenty of stupid people who think it will be safe as the government have said so. Also we had a new year break planned which I assume won’t happen now, we go every year just the 4 of us and it means more to us than Xmas and now we miss out on this. I am absolutely fuming!!!

Completely unnecessary. I think the government think they will make us all happy and be popular with this announcement, and that there will be riots if we can't do Christmas. But my elderly parents have told us they are staying at home and don't want visitors. Fine with me. We are also just staying home. Hopefully my parents will be vaccinated early next year and then we will be fine to visit etc. Why waste all the effort we have put in so far for us all to just infect each other.

It's not just saying small family Christmases is it, rather
Churches opening for large services
Hospitality open for a 'Christmas rush' but only for a week or so
Bubbles of 'several families'

They know that some people will ignore restrictions anyway, and they don't want to bring in a lockdown without also having given us some freedom probably, always trying to do what's popular, not what's necessary. I genuinely don't understand why not 1 or 2 days if they must relax at all.

Maybe to give time for travel- not sure. Thing is there can be pressure for some at Christmas and given 'permission' can make people put pressure on to see them. In some cases I mean. Although guess that is still a choice