‘i’d rather keep my family alive than lose them over christmas’
We’re heading into Christmas party season, but some revellers are concerned about attending this year due to the ongoing Covid situation and the emergence of the new Omicron variant. Conor Gogarty asked people in Cardiff city centre what they thought...
PEOPLE we spoke to in Cardiff are conflicted about whether to attend Christmas parties in the run-up to December 25 as a new Covid variant spreads.
Some 32 Omicron cases have been confirmed in the UK so far. Prime Minister Boris Johnson and health secretary Sajid Javid have both told people not to cancel Christmas parties. But UK health chief Dr Jenny Harries has encouraged people to cut back on “socialising when we don’t particularly need to” ahead of Christmas.
Asked at a Welsh Government press conference about Christmas parties, Wales’ health minister Eluned Morgan did not give a clear answer either way but told people to be careful.
“It is something that we need to take seriously,” she said.
We asked people in Cardiff city centre their plans for Christmas and how they feel about socialising after the emergence of Omicron.
Kyle Christopher, a financial adviser from Bridgend, said: “My mindset has stayed the same since Covid started. As long as you are keeping your distance from people it should be OK.”
But the 22-year-old added: “A lot of Christmas plans have been put on hold just in case. I’d rather keep my family alive than risk losing them over the Christmas period. We have Christmas parties planned but I am probably not going to go due to the worry around the virus. The new variant has solidified it definitely.”
Kyle plans to see his family via Zoom on Christmas Day to protect vulnerable relatives. “It’s not going to be forever,” he said. “As long as we do our part person by person, we will get through to the end of it.”
Imogen Orr, a media student at Cardiff University, plans to spend Christmas at her family home in south Devon. She does not expect to go to Christmas parties but hopes to enjoy some get-togethers around New Year.
The 20-year-old, of Cathays, said: “I think I will wait to see how things are. If I am back at my family house I wouldn’t want to go out as much because it could affect my family.
“It’s been going on for so long now. I felt like we were just going back to normal life. It would be quite annoying for it to disrupt what we have come back to
now. Last year was my first year at uni and we couldn’t really do much at all. It’s been such a better experience being in Cardiff this year. It would be annoying to go back to how it was.”
Married couple Christine and Richard Thomas, from Swansea, are hoping to spend Christmas Day with Christine’s brother and his five children.
They had planned to do so last Christmas before a surge in cases led to new restrictions.
Christine, a Sketty Primary School teacher before retirement, said: “I feel quite safe because my husband and myself have had our first two vaccines and the booster. What worries me is that people are not wearing masks in shops and confined spaces. Even though I am asthmatic I do wear a mask but I found yesterday shopping in town, there were very few people with masks.”
The couple are waiting for updates from First Minister Mark Drakeford before deciding on any gatherings, but they do not plan to go to any large parties.
Christine, 58, added: “We have been very careful all the way through lockdown because my husband has a blood condition and we had to shield.
“I was hopeful when the vaccination came along... people relaxed a little bit and it felt more normal. Since the announcement of the new variant I think my anxiety has come back a little bit and I am looking around more at people wondering if they have got the virus – can they pass it on to me, are they rubbing shoulders with me?”
Her husband Richard, who was deputy vice-chancellor at University of Bolton before retirement, added: “I think we are just going to see how it goes.
“We will see how the measures take effect.
“I think we have always felt much the same. We need to take our responsibilities seriously and protect each other.
“There is a lot of talk about individual rights but for me, rights come with responsibilities and duties.
“It might be uncomfortable to wear a mask occasionally but I think that’s trumped by our responsibility to protect other people. A little mild inconvenience is nothing compared to the possible alternatives.”
The 61-year-old believes any Christmas restrictions are likely to be more cautious from the Welsh Government than the UK’s – and he is happy to follow the Welsh guidance.
“Boris Johnson doesn’t have the greatest reputation for reliability,” Richard said. “He called [Labour leader] Keir Starmer ‘Captain Hindsight’. Well, he’s not exactly Major Foresight as far as I can tell, so I’m very happy to go with the more conservative restrictions.”
Michaela Pritchard, a psychology student in Pontypridd, is not planning to have many gatherings over Christmas, but she may go to a few get-togethers with friends.
“If it’s about 10 of us together, I wouldn’t be overly panicking, especially if I know we are all safe, which we are,” she said. “We all take lateral flow tests before.”
The 20-year-old added: “It’s gone on too long now but it’s just about keeping safe and keeping your distance. I feel as though there needs to be so much more direct and clear communication. It seems [the different Governments in the UK] are contradicting themselves a lot. If they all got together and said ‘this is the clear outline’, it would be a lot easier for people to understand.”
Jac Borseti, a University of South Wales student living in Cathays, says Omicron has “definitely” changed his mindset.
He had planned to spend Christmas in his home country Italy, but he is “a bit more sceptical” since the new variant emerged. “I’m taking my time to plan everything,” the 21-year-old said. “Rather than my safety, it’s more about the safety of my relatives, like my grandparents.”
The film student does not expect to go to many Christmas parties, though if he is in Italy he may enjoy a big dinner with his family.
What does he think of the Government guidance on Omicron? “I don’t really know to be honest.
“As a student, a lot of it is the word that goes around. People are saying, ‘Have you heard this, have you heard that?’”
Jac said his student friends’ plans for Christmas are “quite mixed”, adding: “Some are just going back to their families. A few are going on holiday, skiing for example.”
Shaun Gauci, a 66-year-old cleaner living in Cardiff city centre, said: “I haven’t read much about Omicron. I’ve got to the age now where I’m giving up and not taking much notice of it. The caring has gone out of it. I’ve had my two boosts. Whatever’s gonna come is gonna come.”
He hopes to do “quite a lot of socialising” at his local pub but would understand if another lockdown was needed.
“If it makes us safe, do it,” he said. “We coped with the last one.”