Christmas IS going to be cancelled - last minute.

[Elephant4]

Isn't it?

www.theguardian.com/world/2020/dec/18/boris-johnson-calls-crisis-meeting-to-discuss-response-to-new-covid-strain

They're panicking now.

@Em777 it's more deadly because it's more contagious, it isn't more deadly and more contagious. It's good to be clear about that.

In my view, snooping on your neighbours and guilt-tripping people is not taking care of each other. I'm sorry, but I just can't change my opinion about that!

*Sennetti

Maybe this is the point where the government find their balls.*

Let's hope...
Such a shit show , apart from Australia and New Zealand (and maybe a few not aware of before people pile in), no country seems to have got it right.
Christmas can't be cancelled. It's just the way we choose to celebrate that is changed. Yes there are people in all different circumstances, but it's a life or death situation. Just stay home.

@Onceuponatimethen

Oh god - I get that it might be needed but we’ve isolated for two weeks and have presents spread across the households and food order ditto. Would be sad not to see elderly family and one set of people will end up with just huge turkey but no stuffing, veg or wine etc etc

It's elderly family you should be protecting by not mixing with them - could you do a visit from a distance? Stuffing and veg/wine really doesn't matter and can be dropped off if they can't get to the shops!

@Whydoiwearsomuchleopardprint

Just leaving this here. ......www.mumsnet.com/Talk/coronavirus/3837698-Ski-trip-go-or-not

Fancy all that just to ski down a hill.

Its not the food. Its a chance to spend time with family. How DARE you belittle peoples need to do this Im childfree by choice

oh no don't duck out of the question. if it really is so bad and the nhs is totally overstretched why relax the covid rules at christmas. is this a new smart virus that knows the difference between christmas and any other time of year? the people at the top know more than they are prepared to tell us.

It’s not “just for a bit of turkey”. It’s leaving “elderly relatives” on their own over Christmas when they’ve been on their own all year and have been looking forward to this. They might not be here next year, COVID or no COVID.

My parents are 84. My niece is 25 and lives with them and works as a school escort. Im already isolating. She was unable to do so until today.

Of course there is always the alternative accomodation that is being provided should she need it if she comes into contact with a positive case.......................oh WAIT.

@Superstardjs

I find this hyperbole irritating. Christmas is not cancelled. Christmas Day is on the 25th December, the same as every year. They cannot cancel Christmas. Your plans may be curtailed somewhat, but Christmas itself really is not cancelled as a general premise.

Agree with this - you can't cancel a designated day of the year. We'll still be celebrating the day even if it's just with my household bubble.

I do think this '5 days of Christmas' free for all should be cancelled though. We are not seeing any elderly relatives, but we do know that some of them are making stupid decisions with other family members and clearly can't be trusted to be sensible!

TOBIAS ELLWOOD WAS AT A PARTY WITH 27 PEOPLE
PIERS MORGAN AND DR HILARY JONES CAUGHT WITHOUT MASKS ON. KAY BURLEY BETH RIGBY

GRANT SHAPPS AND HIS HIGH VALUE INDIVIDUALS NOT QUARANTINING.

THIS IS ALL IN THE LAST FORTNIGHT ALONE.

If the new strain is in the south east then surely thats where the travel restrictions should be, not the whole country.

I dont ser why northumberland needs to be locked down just because london is not coping, but if london suffers i guess the rest of us have to as well

Everyone I know is complying, seriously we are. And that’s so we can get out of this ASAP, which if you don’t comply and knuckle down it will go on for so much longer! So bored of people thinking they are rebels! Ffs, do what what you need to do in your tier and comply otherwise this will go on for ever!

I dont think they will renege on the relaxation of rules for Christmas as it could be political suicide.
They are obviously trying to put lots of messages out in the media to scare people from meeting/ traveling and to make them change their plans without them having to change the rules.
Listening to the today program on radio 4 for the past couple of days they have devoted half the program to covid horror stories , scary and worrying stuff, interviewing a lot of people who were extremely ill with covid and have now have serious long term.health issues. They seemed to be reporting on it every 15 minutes whereas a week or so ago it , they didnt run any stories or interviews like this.
The media is doing Boris's job for him. If the Government think its too dangerous for people to meet up.they need to change the rules. Infection rate is soaring, partly i think because shops, gyms, schools and in some places restaurants are still open. There probably does need to.be a third lockdown and maybe a proper one like the first one we had as the lighter second lockdown doesn't appear to have worked.

@HeddaGarbled Exactly. Unfortunately there are a lot of people on here who are only interested in the elderly and vulnerable when they can use them to emotionally blackmail others.

What @Jourdain11 said!

It's all about common sense and assessing risk..not doing or not doing what the government tell us to do. Unfortunately not everyone does have the common sense to make the assessments and use their initiative though. I will say though that ive hardly seen my parents this year because of covid and it's really affected their mental health. They are desperate for DP and I to go for xmas dinner, so we will be. It has been planned now since November and they are so excited. We will stay 2 metres away, wear a mask too and keep windows open.. no kissing or hugging. Im genuinely terrified of passing anything on but will do all we can to minimise any potential there may be.

If the government changed their mind now we wouldn't change plans. Same as if government said "you can kiss and hug and lick each other for one day" we wouldn't do that either! We are using our own initiative about what is safe not just doing it for law.

I have complied. My DM is actually in my support bubble.

Personally I would be really upset if we couldn't go ahead. We have followed every rule and piece of guidance scrupulously and are currently isolating in order to meet up with my mum and dad.

But my brother and SIL have a 6 hour journey and we are staying in a holiday apartment. If they can't travel or the apartment can't open my parents will be devastated. Not to mention that my SIL has the turkey because Tesco has none left for Christmas delivery!
My parents were all resigned to just an outdoor visit from me and we left it until the Covid Christmas arrangements were definitely confirmed before we told them we could all meet. It's likely to be the last Christmas my mum can take much part on ss, selfishly, I want it to go ahead. We have done everything to make ot safe.

i don't know if something in the comment meant it got deleted but sorry i feel the people at the top know more than they are willing to tell us. if the nhs was overwhelmed with covid cases etc why relax the rules for christmas. that's the question i am asking and why i am starting to believe more and more the people who say it's becoming more political than about public health and safety

@Sennetti

All this panic is off the back of this new strain. Which they didn’t predict.

Thank you @Sennetti for the voice of reason - it's exactly this.

Won’t make any difference to us, we had already decided with my parents in their 70s, dad with cancer, and 2 boys in daily secondary school Covid soup we wouldn’t be doing it. I had to keep my 14 year old off school as he suffered a panic attack about the thought of spreading asymptomatically to people in his class, it would destroy him to give it to his grandparents.

We hope to be vaccinated in a few months so will party then.

@Scarby9 I am assuming your brother and SIL would have to stop somewhere en route with a six hour car journey so they can't be totally isolating.

@Duemarch2021 We arent a very demonstrative family. We have never been the kissy huggy type of family anyway.

No.

They'll come out with some vague waffly notion about hands, face, space, air, don't drive your car and advise people to maybe consider if they could not leave their town unless X, Y and Z. No hard and fast "rules" or tough consequences for breaking them.

And people will break them. Because "the Government will!!", "we can for THIS reason", "they can in Z random country", "it's just to protect London", "they're all feckless idiots", "we need to see Ain't Glenda", etc. Most of the reasons given will be nonsense.

The cases will soar again and they'll say "well we did say probably don't do it" and we'll be back in lockdown by January

Anyone utterly stupid enough to even think for one second that meeting up for Christmas was ever a good idea needs their head checking. Only a god damn fool would be doing this.

Christmas must be cancelled otherwise 2021 will be worse than 2020.

Imagine how horrific it will be when the gathering outbreaks start coming out.

And a bleedin vaccine is going to do fuck all once it mutates further.

No-one seems to care about mental health anymore. No-one seems to care about what older (certainly not "elderly" in my case) relatives CHOOSE or want - seeing as no-one is forcing them and they have a brain! No-one seems to care that some young children, who haven't seen their grandparents in months are really suffering and having breakdowns over the restrictions (not the virus). No-one seems to care for the virologists who tell us day in , day out that there are thousands (yes, thousands) of strains of Covid discovered over the summer - no-one seems to care about life anymore, just shame, Covid-NS, guilt, burdens, blame, politics.
Get on with your own Christmases and stay at home if you want to. But get real.
Mental health hangs in the balance for so many after 10 months of headless-chicken, faceless parents, snitching, staying at home. This is a parents' forum isn't it????!

Hope MPs and advisors will be watched by journos over Christmas to make sure they are complying.