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!

It will depend on the individual lateral flow test but the one I saw had laughably lower sensitivity and specificity than advertised - www.bmj.com/content/371/bmj.m4469

Politically whats the incentive to do a u-turn at this point?

thats the key question.

I don't think its in the government's interests to do so... perhaps unfortunately.

@MercyBooth, could you break the story that will become breaking news about the rule break, please? Or allude to the nature and presumably well-known people involved?

If they DO do this, journos will be watching them like hawks.

@FourTeaFallOut

People miss their families but also the vaccine is being rolled out so hopefully we'll all be able to have a normal Christmas.

Outside of trial participants, there won't be one person who has had two shots and an additional 10 days for the vaccine to confer its full immunity.

Sorry I meant next year not this year

The only way to guarantee it won't be my loved ones is not to see them.

There are no guarantees.

If you have ever grumbled about the younger generation not willing to make the same sacrifices as the older generations then I'm sorry but you have no right to moan at being asked by the medical profession to not join other households this Christmas/wear a mask/don't go to the pub so that others may not die.

If they do this and even one of them is caught breaking it how high do you think the compliance for a January lockdown will be .

Also if they do this AND a Jan lockdown.........same question.

@fedupfrances if we had a competent government there would be less cases, some tier 3 areas not in tier 2, and over 10,000 fewer deaths (my estimate if Michael Gove or Jeremy Hunt had been PM as they would not have been asleep on the job in February/March).

@Zilla1

I don't know what Leicester, Manchester, Liverpool, Sheffield expected, nor what they are complaining about. They know they are not the golden child/City.

Probably to be treated like humans rather than the caged animals we are currently being treated here in Leicester. We we're even included in the hospital hubs for vaccinations until Jonathan Ashworth kicked up a fuss. It's absolutely disgusting how we have been treated (or not treated, rather forgotten about). I feel for those in the North but no one has suffered like us. I WILL be seeing my parents (not Leicester) this year, fuck knows I've not been able to see anyone else!

Weren't **

"The only way to guarantee it won't be my loved ones is not to see them.

There are no guarantees."

Quite. We will have all isolated by the time they arrive on 23rd. If they can't come now then the food delivery I've arranged for us to come to my house won't be of any use to them.

Unfortunately now they can't get a slot so would have to visit the supermarket. That's both my parents and my ILs who will have to go shopping as opposed to coming here after we've all (kids included) isolated. I'd say it's riskier to cancel in this situation tbh

They'll reduce the households to two and suggest not travelling out of your immediate area.

They will just toughen the advice I suspect. We aren't meeting up because it's simply wrong to put my parents at risk.

@bumblingbovine49

We are yet again out of step with Europe as most countries have introduced extra restrictions over the holiday period. I am not saying other countries are a lot better off at the moment but it is still interesting just how out of step we are, almost as much as Sweden has been who are now starting to implement more restrictions as their hospitals are in crisis

People keep saying this, but the Netherlands yes you're only allowed three guests but that's a day, the Czech Republic it's a rule of six (including indoors) and again there doesn't seem to be an expectation of exclusivity, Germany you can have four adults and an unlimited number of under-14s; for a lot of people these would all be less restrictive than an exclusive bubble of three households.

Like people are going to take notice anyway , whilst my kids are in school we are at risk
Lots of grandparents provide childcare anyway so they will see whats the difference of then spending xmas with them
Lots if people are not following the rules correctly , most are not back to normal but loosely following rules

How comes kier starmer wasn't shouting too loud about schools where a lit of transmission is taking place

@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?

If they've said they aren't then they have already decided they are.

Who on earth could believe anything this shower says ?

Unfortunately now they can't get a slot so would have to visit the supermarket. That's both my parents and my ILs who will have to go shopping as opposed to coming here after we've all (kids included) isolated. I'd say it's riskier to cancel in this situation tbh

Good point.

They'll reduce the households to two and suggest not travelling out of your immediate area.

My family live a 2 hour drive away so that’ll be our Christmas buggered. Families don’t tend to live in the same immediate area as each other nowadays, so if they did change the rules to that it would affect a huge number of people.

I wear a mask I dont go to pubs. Havent been in a coffee shop since March . Havent had a wax since March. Im at home or shopping. And in the hairdressers once every six weeks. My hairdresser is excellent and follows all the rules and then some. Even so i last went two weeks ago on the 3rd. So well in time just in case.
My contacts are very limited. Ive never really been one for nights out so havent done it for years I dont go abroad. I have left my home town ONCE in 13 years and that was in 2015 for a funeral.

They are not cancelling Christmas, by telling people not to mix households. It's not essential to mix in order to celebrate Christmas. I'm sure some people will break the "rules" but others will stick to them so overall that will lower transmission. The main problem will be schoolchildren mixing with relatives so if that is reduced, it will be a good thing.

If they've said they aren't then they have already decided they are.

This.

It's not essential to mix in order to celebrate Christmas

It chuffing well is if you live on your own!

@fedupfrances

Unfortunately now they can't get a slot so would have to visit the supermarket. That's both my parents and my ILs who will have to go shopping as opposed to coming here after we've all (kids included) isolated. I'd say it's riskier to cancel in this situation tbh

Good point.

They'll reduce the households to two and suggest not travelling out of your immediate area.

My family live a 2 hour drive away so that’ll be our Christmas buggered. Families don’t tend to live in the same immediate area as each other nowadays, so if they did change the rules to that it would affect a huge number of people.

I can't see them having the balls to put any of this into law so it'll be guidance and then they can blame everyone else for locking us up in January - which they clearly planned to do anyway.

btw you are allowed a support bubble if you care for a disabled person.