Are they really going to cancel Christmas?

[fedupfrances]

And if they do, will loads of people just break the rules anyway?

It’s sodding ridiculous - myself and DP have barely left the house last week and won’t be going out this week either, other than walks in our local park. My parents have also been at home pretty much constantly. None of us has Covid 19 and the risk of catching it if we get together at Christmas is practically zero. So fed up with this shite!

Where are you getting your info? They said they weren't going to do a U-turn on Christmas rules. Unless you're referring to London going into tier 3?

I wondererd if they'd reduce to 6 people (two households) for Tier 3. I don't think they'll cancel Christmas though.

No they won’t cancel

Not just because people have made plans but for many even without covid, this would be their last Xmas

They’ll deter us but won’t make it illegal as they know people will mix come what may

I was always going to mix whether they allowed it or not and so many are in bubbles it’ll be allowed anyway

I wouldn’t be surprised. While some people will break the rules anyway, a lot won’t. And probably the ones who will, would do so even if we’re allowed to mix - so they’d be mixing with more than three households etc.

Cancelling might not stop people mixing if they live in the same street or town, but it’d probably stop people travelling halfway across the country and staying overnight. I think this may especially be a factor if they are trying to stop the new variant spreading as quickly (though I think the horse has bolted there).

I don’t think it will be cancelled as such but restrictions could be tightened so the 5 days maybe reduced to 3 days and the number of households maybe reduced to 2.

I personally think that it should be reduce to 2 households so those who live alone don’t spend Christmas on their own. I know we all want to see our families and we have spent most of the year apart from them but in a few months time we can do that safety. People need to be sensible however depressing it is.

We will be spending Christmas alone (me and 2 dc’s), I’m looking forward to seeing my family in a few months when the vaccine has been rolled out to the vulnerable.

@chocolatesaltyxmaspudballs the radio said it was being possibly reviewed earlier, and now that Gove will meet with devolved leaders today.

I suspect the rumours of reducing it to two households or three days are probably not without merit, it appears to be our governments communication strategy...

I've just got myself quite upset over this on the Coronavirus board.

In my city (north) cases are coming down and now lowest they've been since September.

If they cancel it will be because of cases rising in London and I'm done with that shit now.

I can cope with making it fewer days but nothing else.

I'm on the brink of a breakdown at this point

I dont think many people will care if they do or don't cancel. The whole point was that they knew people were going to break the rules at Christmas anyway so it was to give an illusion as still having power over the population with the guidelines.

Christmas itself? No they can't

Travelling and seeing people under rules relaxed for the occasion? Well they couid and there is (kite flying?) discussion getting coverage on variously us news channels to say.

It is perfectly clear from the (near unanimous) voices from the scientific community that unrestrained mixing to the max permitted under the relaxation is actually very risky. Whether that means change, or non-stop homilies on safe contacts, I'm really not sure.

As the govt is prepared to browbeat a council that had made a very sensible (win/win) decision about schooling (no different and no more harmful than what is happening across Wales in organised fashion, and chaotically for so many year groups across the other home nations), then I expect a bad decision , communicated late, but with legal penalties

@chocolatesaltyxmaspudballs

Where are you getting your info? They said they weren't going to do a U-turn on Christmas rules. Unless you're referring to London going into tier 3?

It’s on the news now, it is going to be discussed due to so many people asking Borris to change his mind including the labour leader. Chances are restrictions will be tightened but it won’t be cancelled.

I don’t think they will and if they do people will do what they had planned to do anyway. They need to actually stick to plans and not constantly make U turns they have totally lost any public support they had and backtracking on Xmas bubbles will make that even worse. It really is as simple as if your family wants to mix at Christmas and you understand the risks mix if they don’t then don’t mix. We don’t need the government or scientists to dictate this.

Couldn’t care less to be honest - I am not changing my plans, we are being sensible and not going overboard, so we will go ahead even if they change the restrictions. I can’t see there will be any policemen knocking on my door to see if we have more than 2 households. And I have generally been very compliant with all the rules before I get flamed!

Lovemusic “ I personally think that it should be reduce to 2 households so those who live alone don’t spend Christmas on their own”

I guess mum gets to choose which child she has over Xmas in your world. With the remaining one on their own.

@chocolatesaltyxmaspudballs www.theguardian.com/world/2020/dec/15/uk-medical-journals-call-for-christmas-covid-rules-to-be-reversed

Keir Starmer can sod off!

@Iremembertheelderlykoreanlady

I've just got myself quite upset over this on the Coronavirus board.

In my city (north) cases are coming down and now lowest they've been since September.

If they cancel it will be because of cases rising in London and I'm done with that shit now.

I can cope with making it fewer days but nothing else.

I'm on the brink of a breakdown at this point

Handhold

@Iremembertheelderlykoreanlady It's not about the overall case rate, it's about the pressure on hospitals and the number of people over 60 who are testing positive. Hospitals in the North and the Midlands are really struggling, because we don't have the resources that London has.

The BMJ and the Health Service Journal have said that the government cannot be claiming to be protecting the NHS if they allow the plans to go ahead. If the rates continue as they are currently, then by 31 December there will be as many people in hospital as there were at the peak of the first wave. It's downright irresponsible to relax the rules at this time.

From the guardian - see below. I think it's a very difficult call but especially for those of us up North that are dealing with this just because cases are now rising in London - it's very tough

At the Downing Street lobby briefing, in response to questions about the the joint BMJ/HSJ editorial (see 10.45am), the prime minister’s spokesman said that the advice being given to people about mixing at Christmas was being kept under review. He said:

We have set out the guidance for the Christmas bubbling arrangements. But ... we obviously keep all advice under constant review.

In Whitehall-speak, when it is said a policy is being kept under review, that can mean anything from ‘We have no intention to change the policy at all, but we just want to sound reasonable’ to ‘There’s a U-turn coming shortly’. The spokesman’s comment at the briefing sounded a bit closer to the later than the former, but it was hard to be sure.

According to PA Media, Michael Gove, the Cabinet Office minister, will discuss the Christmas rules with the leaders of the devolved administrations later this afternoon.

@Iremembertheelderlykoreanlady I agree, it’s an absolute joke.

It's not just Keir Starker though, is it? It's our two leading medical journals and the head of the hospital's doctors union.

@fedupfrances Are you telling the doctors to sod off as well?

Starmer... weird autocorrect

You can say that you and your parents are low risk, but not everyone can say that. It's rife in secondary schools, so anyone with DC or teachers etc are at high risk, plus other people in public facing jobs.

They'll probably not 'cancel Christmas' even if the advice is that they do, and many other countries are doing so, eg Belgium, Germany and some parts of Spain I believe, so far.

They'll just deal with the inevitable fall out and increasing death rates in the coming weeks, and blame the public for not following the rules - remember, the allowed bubble is very limited, eg if DP and I saw DM and PILs, that means PILs can't see their other DS and their family. Plus people have been advised to limit contact in the days up to Christmas, in order to reduce the risk, and many won't be able to due to work, or just not bothering.

@AcornAutumn

Lovemusic “ I personally think that it should be reduce to 2 households so those who live alone don’t spend Christmas on their own”

I guess mum gets to choose which child she has over Xmas in your world. With the remaining one on their own.

There’s already many people having to chose because many people have more than 2 children. This is why I have taken the choice away from my parents by staying at home, she is seeing my brother Christmas Day which is fine. It’s just a day, I will be spending Boxing Day and the day after alone because my dc’s will be with their dad. It’s not the end of the world.

@FourTeaFallOut

Starmer... weird autocorrect

Excellent autocorrect there 😂