Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Covid

Mumsnet doesn't verify the qualifications of users. If you have medical concerns, please consult a healthcare professional.

Original poster

Do you think the Government will cancel the Christmas bubble idea?

142 replies

unicornparty · 14/12/2020 07:40

I keep seeing things mentioning Government cancelling the Christmas bubble idea. Germany are not allowing Christmas mixing. Do you think Boris will consider it here?

The tiers are being reviewed this week and a few places are likely to be moved to Tier 3. What's the point in moving to Tier 3 for a few days then telling everyone to ignore it and mix with other households for 5 days for Christmas. It just doesn't make sense.

OP posts:
EnPoinsettia · 14/12/2020 08:22

Boris is too chicken 🐓

Ihopeyourcakeisshit · 14/12/2020 08:23

People say that the Government has no choice but to open up Christmas as it would have been impossible police, what we've ended up with is state sanctioned fuck-wittery as a result.

Sobeyondthehills · 14/12/2020 08:24

For people saying it is too late for them to cancel it, there is still another Sunday for them to leak their plans on twitter

Ihopeyourcakeisshit · 14/12/2020 08:25

Won't happen.

EileenGC · 14/12/2020 08:26

Some of Germany is allowing Christmas mixing. Definitely not every region.

It's up to 10 people from 2 households in most of the country. But I leave in a city where it'll be max 5 people from 2 households, excluding under 14s. Only between 24-26th Dec.

Those areas with a 200+ incidence (what the UK would call low and place in Tier 1/2) will have even stronger measures. My city has one the highest incidence rates in the whole of Germany and we've never gone over 220, yet we have the strongest measures nationally, and have been on the 'double red' alarm system for months.

We've been in partial lockdown (everything closed apart from schools and some retail) for 6 weeks now. We're going into hard lockdown on Wednesday, which will be similar to the one in March. Absolutely everything will be closed, apart from emergency childcare and essential shops. For 4 weeks.

It's crap. Some regions have already announced all non-essential activities (restaurants, concert halls, museums) will stay closed until 28th February 2021.

But it's even more stupid that in UK Tier 3 areas you can't meet a friend for a coffee, but in a couple of weeks you'll be able to see your extended family and ignore all social distancing, because it's Christmas and we all know how the virus stops working during that week, hey. Just so Boris can say he's saved Christmas...

DumplingsAndStew · 14/12/2020 08:28

I think they should; so many people don't seem to understand the Xmas rules anyway!

CrunchyCarrot · 14/12/2020 08:28

No. I think cancelling it now will make people angry and more likely to go against the guidance.

YukoandHiro · 14/12/2020 08:28

My theory is that they've always known it would be a disaster but that they also knew people would do what they wanted at Xmas. So by allowing a few days of relative freedom they are preventing these people from psychologically becoming rule breakers.
They know Jan-March will bad and they need the public onside for whatever strict measures they need then.
They want to avoid people thinking "oh well, we didn't follow the rules at Xmas ana it was fiiiine, so let's not worry too much now"

MillieVanilla · 14/12/2020 08:30

It's another case of they should but they won't.
Cases are already back on the rise after the, frankly pointless, second lockdown. People are desperate to cling to Christmas and make it the best they can so are out in shops in huge numbers.
This will just be a handy excuse when we all end up back in a third lockdown between January and March. We are in flu and seasonal lung illness season now and the NHS barely coped with that last year before we knew about covid- remember the anger and back and forth over the little boy being treated on a hospitals floor- so this will be a handy excuse to blame covid and blame the free for all to shut it down again.

PurpleDaisies · 14/12/2020 08:31

People I talk to are without exception thinking about the risks associated with their plans, and most are having quite minimal visits (days trips, not staying over; lower number mixing than the maximum permitted)

This is my experience too. I think that they can’t cancel it but will really push for people to limit their interactions and be as safe as possible. That’s what we’re doing.

Sittinbythesea · 14/12/2020 08:32

No they won’t. Sensible people aren’t planning much anyway and the idiots that are planning a knees up will do it anyway. ‘Allowing’ the idiots their knees up hopefully means that they will stick to the rules again afterwards - once people break the rules they are more likely to do it again. I don’t know anyone who is planning anything more exciting than a walk or meeting in the garden with their vulnerable older relatives. None of my dcs friends are doing much. None of my parents friends are doing anything. A few people are staying with siblings but that’s it!

canigooutyet · 14/12/2020 08:39

Those saying it's too late. Did you all forget that Eid was cancelled at the very last minute? People would have been travelling. Food cooked/getting cooked.

NHS are already on their knees because of all the beds that have been taken out of the wards.

bombymobey · 14/12/2020 08:44

They should never have allowed it in the first place but too late to change it now.

How could they prevent it though?

I think anyone who thinks mixing at christmas was ever going to not be a thing is deluded tbh. They need compliance & you won't get that at Christmas.

timeforanewstart · 14/12/2020 08:45

There are several posts on this alreAdy.
Its not compulsory to go elsewhere and like others have said germany haven't banned mixing at home , plus you can't compare always what another country is or isn't doing . Different cultures , rates of infection , size , all sorts have to be considered
Even if it wasn't allowed people would do it , who exactly would poilce it
Plus say for me ,kids off school and college for 2 weeks and myself and husband off work for over a week , I think means we are less at risk than normal , going to my parents and being sensible is actually less risky than us being at work and school in my Opinion .

Mousehole10 · 14/12/2020 08:46

No they won’t now, it’s too late, everyone has made plans and will do them anyway. Hopefully everyone with school children or work in schools will be sensible and not see others inside unless they can isolate first, otherwise schools are going to be a nightmare in January!

Mousehole10 · 14/12/2020 08:47

@canigooutyet

Those saying it's too late. Did you all forget that Eid was cancelled at the very last minute? People would have been travelling. Food cooked/getting cooked.

NHS are already on their knees because of all the beds that have been taken out of the wards.

Yes and look how many carried on with their plans anyway because it was too late.
Original poster
unicornparty · 14/12/2020 08:49

I'd love them to cancel it. There are 4 households in our bubble. I'd like to stick to the rules so split into 2 but the others are making me out to be the bad guy ruining their Xmas. It's awful.

OP posts:
bombymobey · 14/12/2020 08:50

So by allowing a few days of relative freedom they are preventing these people from psychologically becoming rule breakers.
They know Jan-March will bad and they need the public onside for whatever strict measures they need then.
They want to avoid people thinking "oh well, we didn't follow the rules at Xmas ana it was fiiiine, so let's not worry too much now"

Exactly

I think that they can’t cancel it but will really push for people to limit their interactions and be as safe as possible

I agree most people are aiming to self isolate before &/or the only mixing they are doing is with family.

timeforanewstart · 14/12/2020 08:51

@cannigoutyet eid didn't affect 95% of the population why do people keep comparing the two
Its a fact that xmas is celebrated by a lot of the country and it is also public bank holidays where lots of people have time off work.

timeforanewstart · 14/12/2020 08:55

So op you would like it cancelled because you don't want to be the bad guy
Just stay at home one household and stick to your guns
Many have done the same , its not compulsory to go anywhere
Just explain to relatives as you don't want to mix as you are concerned and will do a quiet one this year and a meet up in the summer
If they think you are the bad guy so what ?

Original poster
unicornparty · 14/12/2020 08:58

Well of course that's not the only reason 🙄

But it's dp's family so it makes it more difficult to say no when it makes me look like the bad guy ruining their plans.

OP posts:
Buntyjones · 14/12/2020 08:59

Don't think it would make a difference any more! Not a single person we know is following the rules now.

PurpleDaisies · 14/12/2020 09:00

I appreciate that those conversations are really awkward and it would be much easier if there was no mixing allowed.

You have to stick to the rules though. It’s going to be awful in January if people don’t.

AxMan76 · 14/12/2020 09:01

@unicornparty - why not say you've been contacted by track and trace or school and family needs to isolste?

UnseenDoreen · 14/12/2020 09:02

@Buntyjones

Don't think it would make a difference any more! Not a single person we know is following the rules now.
This seems to be the case around me, including myself! I've created something that works for me - got a few support bubbles and am seeing family. Couldn't give a flying fig anymore.
Swipe left for the next trending thread