A week of Christmas freedom on the cards
Families will be allowed to meet, but tough restrictions likely to stay in place until then
FAMILIES will be allowed to meet for up to a week at Christmas – but tough restrictions may remain in place until then, under government plans to be announced early next week.
Boris Johnson is preparing to announce a Uk-wide relaxation of rules from Dec 22-28, allowing several families to join in one “bubble”, The Daily Telegraph can reveal.
But he will say that the strength of the restrictions for the rest of next month will depend on how well the public complies with the current lockdown, which ends on Dec 2. Last night minis
ters heralded “a ray of light” in the Covid battle, with the NHS gearing up to administer the first vaccines.
Every adult in England could be vaccinated by April, under an NHS draft plan that would see 44 million people receive jabs within five months.
The roll- out for those aged 18-50 could begin in late January, after older people and care workers are vaccinated.
Under the provisional timetable – which depends on the authorisation of vaccines and arrival of millions of doses – care home residents and staff, NHS workers, and the elderly will begin to receive jabs before Christmas, with a far wider roll-out in the new year.
Health officials said it was too early to commit to the schedule in the plans, which were leaked to the Health Service Journal.
But last night Matt Hancock, the Health Secretary, said he was growing “more and more confident” that life would be closer to normal in the spring.
He said Britain was now “clearly near the peak” of the second wave, with figures from the Office for National statistics suggesting infections had dropped by almost a fifth in a week.
Mr Hancock told a Downing Street press conference: “This is a virus that has cast a shadow over this incredibly difficult year. And we’ve always known that the best long-term answer will be the ray of light provided by a vaccine.”
Yesterday he asked British regulators to start their assessment of the Pfizer Biontech vaccine, with hopes it could receive approval within days of receiving full safety data on Monday.
“This is another important step forward in tackling this pandemic,” he said, adding that the NHS would be ready to start vaccinations next month.
Trial data found the vaccine offered 95 per cent protection and worked just as well in older people, with no major safety concerns.
Next week, Mr Johnson is expected to outline a “four nations” plan for Christmas, allowing several families to spend up to seven days together.
Government sources said it would be “inconceivable” that families would not be allowed to attend Christmas church services, with talks between the nations about the details of the plans.
Rishi Sunak, the Chancellor, is understood to have pushed for the freedoms to be introduced several days before
Christmas, starting on Dec 22, to allow pubs and restaurants to enjoy some “normal days” of trade.
The Government announcement of a “winter plan”, which could come as early as Monday, will see Mr Johnson set out details of “strengthened tiers”.
While three tiers are expected to remain, each is likely to be bolstered, so rules that previously applied to Tier 2, such as a ban on household indoor mixing, may apply at the lowest level.
Government sources said the new system would be more “consistent”, with clear rules attached to each tier.
Some new exclusions will be introduced, with gyms and leisure facilities allowed to remain open in all parts of the country, regardless of tier.
Crucially, decisions about which areas are placed into tiers will be made by the Government.
Ministers hope to avoid the stand-offs and wrangling seen earlier this year when Greater Manchester council refused to accept Tier 3 status.
Last night, Prof Jonathan Van-tam, the deputy chief medical officer, said the NHS intended to “move with as much pace as we can possibly muster” on delivering a vaccine.
The Office for National Statistics said daily coronavirus infections in England had fallen significantly for the first time in the second wave. Daily infection rates in the week to Nov 14 were 38,900, down from 45,700 the previous week.