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!

@Chaotic45

Here in Leicester we have been unable to meet anyone indoors since March.

We had no financial help until some was negotiated thanks to Manchester, we've had no school testing and we've missed out on having a rapid test centre.

People are beyond despair.

When people are complaining how long they have been in this or that tier for can you spare us a thought please.

It's been appalling how Leicester has been treated.

We are tier 3 in a high risk, very poor area of the West Mids with lots of multi generational living and poor health are facilities, not allocated rapid testing despite schools full of cases.
What on earth does it take?

I have stuck to every single rule. They are not talking about bringing in extra restrictions because of people like me who have stuck to the rules and had Christmas dangled in front of us like a fucking carrot, only to be told (potentially) that we can't see our families now.

Don't confuse people who don't give a shit about rules, with people who have played ball, followed the rules but are now saying the government can fuck off

Exactly @Iremembertheelderlykoreanlady - well said.

@fedupfrances

No it's not great and I haven't seen my elderly parents for months but I am sick of people ignoring the rules.

@lynsey91 if like me you’re barely going out for the two weeks before Christmas and your parents aren’t either, you’re driving straight to your parents’ house and spending Christmas at home with no contact with anyone else, then please tell me where is the risk?

Well my parents and other family live almost 200 miles away for a start. Normally it is me and DH, my parents, my 2 siblings and their husbands and their 4 grown up children and their husbands and wives.

So we cannot all get together and are not prepared to break the rules.

We will have to go out to get veg for Christmas as there are no delivery slots so straightaway some risk especially as so many people in supermarkets wear masks under their noses and don't keep their distance.

The risk may be small but no way are we taking that chance. Not only do we, obviously, not want the virus but we definitely do not want it in January when the hospitals will struggle to cope

@fedupfrances

I love people who say they are going to do what they like and then state they hate the additional restrictions.

ITS BECAUSE YOU ARE DOING WHAT YOU LIKE THAT IS CAUSING THIS!!

What a load of crap. Even if everybody had followed the rules to the letter, the virus would still be here. People have largely followed the rules (the latest lockdown being the most recent example) and it hasn’t worked - we’re still in tier 3 which is practically lockdown in all but name. Now people have had enough.

speak for your area if the lockdown hasn't worked. In bristol the lockdown and tier 3 has brought us down from 470 cases to 120. so yes its worked. and I believe up in the north many areas are better than what they were few weeks ago.

but dont worry enjoy christmas mingling.. and enjoy January!

Less than two weeks before is too late to change it. They have to either cancel, in which case they know people won’t comply, or carry on in which case cases will rise. They can’t change the rules as again no one will comply. They change to two households, and everyone will just stick with the three because Christmas shopping has already been done, food is all at one house, how does three make any difference to two, family arguments etc. I can see their dilemma there is no good solution for them.

YY @fedupfrances Ive followed it all year. And i wont be guilt tripped into not seeing my family by busineses who voted Tory. Who couldnt give a shit when ppl were dying when they had their disability benefits stopped!! My sympathy is with their workers.

I never have voted Tory Also this virus was exacerbated by AIR TRAVEL Ive not been abroad since 1986

My conscience is clear.

The chances of you, or whoever's your mixing with, getting coronavirus isn't zero is it? To say that its ridiculous, I didnt think it would come to us, but it did and its frightening I can tell you, maybe you should be thinking more, what if, instead of planning silly get togethers that dont matter.
Obviously this will be a very unpopular comment, but I dont care, cases are still rising and people are still dying, we can all still have a nice Christmas in our own homes, whilst keeping everyone safe, this will never happen tho, and even if it was implemented, this is proof enough that nobody is taking it seriously and nobody really cares.

They're not an accountant, tax adviser or a self employed person either.

Exactly. I'm self-employed and my business took a huge hit during both lockdowns. Thankfully DH's work continued as usual but if I was single I would have been absolutely buggered.

It's easy to say "just lockdown again afterwards" if you have the ability to do so without destroying your finances and potentially losing your home.

@MercyBooth

And you are exactly the kind of person who annoys me as well .

Politics should not be bought into a pandemic . And you know nothing about me or the way I vote . I just am stating a fact . He has an autistic child and most of what he did was within the rules of arranging potential child care .

So basically jog on .

Refusing the vaccine is cutting off your nose to spite your face and I don’t think how you think it will punish the government.

The risk may be small but no way are we taking that chance.

You’re right, the risk is small (very, very small actually).

They've cancelled it here (Canada). Don't mind having a quiet Christmas.

They saw a massive spike after Thanksgiving so want to avoid that happening again.

Last thing we need is the schools closing again and the kids at home.

I think Christmas is a hard enough time anyway for people with raised suicide rates etc, so I don’t think they’ll change it.
I do think people will be heavily guilted into not mixing though. Which will make the people who have and are doing the right thing, think twice. Whilst the ones who don’t give a fuck will continue to not give a fuck.

The problem is that sensible people like you, who are unlikely to spread Covid due to being very cautious, will lose out due to the twats who take the piss.

It's infuriating BUT at the end of the day our emotions/desires/opinions mean nothing in the face of a pandemic that keeps flaring.

WHEN will the thicko's realise they're fucking us ALL over, tho?!

You can see the Tory voters on this thread The ones ignoring "high value" individuals not quaranting

@grassisjeweled

They've cancelled it here (Canada). Don't mind having a quiet Christmas.

They saw a massive spike after Thanksgiving so want to avoid that happening again.

Last thing we need is the schools closing again and the kids at home.

Sensible to learn from thanksgiving

Wish we’d take note

It's easy to say "just lockdown again afterwards" if you have the ability to do so without destroying your finances and potentially losing your home.

But it’s fine for businesses who rely hugely on the run-up to Christmas to have their finances destroyed and homes lost?

The thing is we could be 17 over Christmas within the English rules. This would comprise frontline NHS staff, three secondary schools and four primary schools over three very different parts of the UK. It's completely mad and we're not doing it. The Scottish proposal of 3 households and not more than 8 (ish) people seems like a good compromise.

When covid has affected your family as it has mine , you feel differently about it .

I don’t blame the government because most other European countries are actually doing stricter lock downs .

It’s a worldwide pandemic . And there is no black and white answer to anything .

@chocolatesaltyxmaspudballs, sorry, sometimes I rein in my praise for the government to make my posts short enough to read.

All those city mayors and regional mayors who debated with the government regarding tiers and support for businesses. I don't know what they expected, London-esque support? They'll be wanting golden elephants next (perhaps not Clare Short's finish statement).

How many people watch the press conferences vs hear about changes to the rules on social media? I suspect that many just look up the new rules only and aren't interested in detail like
Whitty trying to calm down Johnson's bluster at the press conferences.
Everybody's circumstances are different and things are crap but I'm acutely aware that there's an army of people who quietly make my life easier and safer- cleaners, bin men... There's been a lot of people who wfh who forget that they are lucky to have that option and that there's people who make it an option because they keep the broadband going etc and they should not be criticized for being out of their homes when they need the wage from their job and whole towns and cities depend on their jobs. These jobs are often not highly paid but vital to the economy and a comfortable life like having water when I turn on the tap.

I believe they should definitely re-think it.

If the did people are just going to ignore it, especially at this late.

For the sake of a year, I think people should just suck it up and have celebrations at home in regular family units. Maybe allowance to bubble up if you’re a single person household. It’s just another day...why would you risk further spread for the sake of one day. Other holidays were ‘cancelled’...so what makes Christmas so special.

It should depend on the area.
I’m in London and covid is raging down here, especially amongst schools. Hundred of kids off school, spiking cases, hospital admissions shooting up.. and everyone’s going to give it to granny in ten days time. It’s insane. Either close the schools or stop Xmas.
But they need to modify rules for regions. Not just a blanket ban.

The problem is that sensible people like you, who are unlikely to spread Covid due to being very cautious, will lose out due to the twats who take the piss.

I think that is the nub of it.

I'm in the same position as you and I'll go fecking mental if they now reverse the decision. 3 days would be useless when your family live at the other end of the country!