XMAS IS STILL ON
Raab backs bit of ‘slack’ in tough year But NHS warns of sparking third wave
CORONAVIRUS restrictions WILL be relaxed over Christmas, despite angry objections by NHS chiefs.
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said the five-day window will go ahead to give us some “slack” after a tough year.
And he insisted it is needed on “a mental health and emotional level”.
The Government will allow up to three households to mix – including staying at relatives’ homes and being able to hug and kiss loved ones.
But health bosses warned Boris Johnson against the move as hospitals face their traditional winter crisis.
NHS Providers chief executive Chris Hopson wrote to the Prime Minister saying: “Trust leaders are worried that if infection rates remain as high as they are at the moment, relaxing the restrictions will trigger a third wave.”
The body stopped short of calling for the five- day bubble system to be axed.
Mr Hopson said: “We’re not calling at this point for the regulations to change but that’s something I think we’re going to look at over the next few days.” He added: “We’re about to hit our b busiest time of f year so people are really worried that if we relax the restrictions now the NHS simply won’t be able to cope.”
But Mr Raab said: “It’s right to be concerned about the state of the virus.
“In relation to Christmas, it has been a really tough year all round, everyone’s felt it. People do need that five-day w indow ov e r Christmas to spend a bit of time with their loved ones and, I think, from a mental lh health l hl level l and emotional level.”
He spoke as the UK death toll hit 64,170 yesterday – up 144. Officials recorded 18,447 more cases as ministers and health officials prepared for Wednesday’s review of tiers in England.
London is expected to be put in Tier 3 while Manchester could be down
People need that five-day window to spend a bit of time with loved ones
graded to Tier 2. Mr Raab said: “Hopefully, some [areas] can come down but if necessary others can go up the tiered approach. The bottom line is we must keep control of the virus.”
Sarah Gilbert, professor of vaccinology at University of Oxford, feared the festive relaxation could hit efforts to beat the pandemic by the summer.
She said: “Hopefully, we could be more or less back to normal by the summer, But that’s not going to be possible if we’re starting from a very bad position in January. What we’ve seen in the US is that after Thank s g iv ing , when people were mixing, there’s now been a big surge in infections. If we have that happening over the Christmas holidays it’s going to take so much longer to get things back to normal because, partly, all the vaccination clinics will be disrupted.”
Hundreds of Covid-19 vaccination centres run by local doctors begin opening in England this week. GP practices in more than 100 locations will have the vaccine delivered today with some opening clinics this afternoon.
The majority will begin giving jabs from tomorrow, NHS England and NHS Improvement said. Health staff including nurses and pharmacists will work alongside family doctors to give shots to those aged 80 and over, as well as care home workers and residents.
Royal College of GPs chairman Professor Martin Marshall said: “GPs and our teams are about to embark on an enormous challenge.”
NHS director of primary care Dr Nikki
Kanani, a practising GP, urged people to attend when called for the vaccine.
She said: “This is the greatest vaccination programme ever undertaken by the NHS. As a GP, I am proud to be part of this huge national effort.”
Last night it emerged schools in Greenwich, South East London, had been asked to close from tonight after a sudden surge in cases. Council leader Danny Thorpe said: “Covid-19 is now escalating extremely quickly. . . demanding immediate action.”
DOMINIC RAAB ON FESTIVE EASING OF RULES GOING AHEAD