WHAT DOES A COVID CHRISTMAS LOOK LIKE IN OTHER COUNTRIES?

GERMANY: A hard lockdown from today, closing all non-essential shops, will last until January 10, and the country’s famous Christmas markets have largely been cancelled.

Private gatherings are limited to five people from two households, but the rule will be eased slightly for the Christmas holidays to allow families to celebrate, with up to ten people allowed to gather, not counting children.

ITALY: Italians will not be allowed to attend a midnight mass on Christmas Eve and can move between regions only in emergencies over the holiday period starting on December 0.

Pope Francis’s Christmas Eve Mass will start two hours earlier, so the limited number permitted to attend can be home by the curfew time of 10pm.

PORTUGAL: There is no limit on how many people will be able to gather for Christmas, and the night-time curfew will be pushed back from 11pm to am on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

But prime minister Antonio Costa urged people to avoid spending too much time in large festive gatherings without a face mask. New Year street parties are banned, with outdoor gatherings limited to six people.

FRANCE: A national stay-at-home order was lifted yesterday and replaced with an 8pm curfew, which will even apply on New Year’s Eve. However it has been waived for Christmas Eve as prime minister Jean Castex said: ‘Christmas has a special place in our lives and traditions.’

US: Dr Michael Osterholm, coronavirus adviser to President-elect Joe Biden, has warned: ‘No Christmas parties.’

He urged Americans to do their best to slow the spread of the virus by limiting social interactions to members of their immediate households. Health officials were frustrated by millions of Americans ignoring appeals to curtail travel and get-togethers over Thanksgiving.

AUSTRALIA: Christmas is looking good. In New South Wales up to 50 people from any number of households can visit a home and indoor singing is allowed with social distancing measures.