Johnson: don’t blow it with a big blowout Christmas
CHRISTMAS “cannot be normal” this year, Boris Johnson has warned, as he set out a time-limited “dispensation” from coronavirus measures for the festive period.
The Prime Minister said there would be a loosening of restrictions for all four nations to allow families to celebrate together. However, the Government urged people to “avoid travelling and minimise social contact” over the reprieve from a new tier system, expected to start next week.
Mr Johnson said that if the UK “blows it with a big blowout Christmas”, the country would pay for it in the new year.
He told MPS: “I can’t say that Christmas will be normal this year, but in a period of adversity, time spent with loved ones is even more precious for people of all faiths and none.
“We all want some kind of Christmas, we need it, we certainly feel we deserve it. But what we don’t want is to throw caution to the winds and allow the virus to flare up again, forcing us all back into lockdown in January.”
The Government’s Covid-19 Winter Plan, published yesterday, set out the objective to “facilitate some limited additional household bubbling for a small number of days” across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
However, the document said that wherever possible people should “avoid travelling and minimise social contact”.
Mr Johnson also urged families to make a “careful judgment” about visiting elderly relatives over Christmas.
He told MPS: “This virus is obviously not going to grant a Christmas truce, it doesn’t know it’s Christmas and families will need to make a careful judgment about the risk of visiting elderly relatives.
“We will be publishing guidance for those who are clinically extremely vulnerable on how to manage the risks in each tier as well as over Christmas.”
The Prime Minister said rapid testing would be used by the end of the year to allow every care home resident to have two visitors who can be tested twice a week. He said: “Care workers looking after people in their own homes will be offered weekly tests from today.
“And from next month, weekly tests will also be available to staff in prisons, food manufacturing and those delivering and administering Covid vaccines.”
Mr Johnson said testing will also enable students to “go home safely for Christmas” and return back to university in the new year.
As part of the easing of restrictions, churches will be permitted to open for services over the Christmas period.
“Communal worship will be possible for all faiths in all three tiers, and faith leaders continue to play a key role, consulting on how to make religious practice as safe as possible,” the plan says.
Ministers are set to make a decision in the coming days on whether to allow members of the congregation to sing during services as well as whether to permit door-to-door carol singing.
The Christmas reprieve is expected
‘The virus is not going to grant a Christmas truce. Families will need to make careful judgments’
to run from Dec 23 to Dec 27, during which time up to three households will be allowed to socialise.
Alongside get-togethers at home, there is hope that “festive bubbles” will be able to go out for meals together as long as they do not mix with others.
The winter plan warned that Christmas festivities would “likely” lead to an increase in coronavirus. It stated: “It will be particularly important to be cautious early in the new year. Christmas will likely lead to an increase in transmission and, historically, the period after Christmas is when the NHS sees the greatest pressure on services such as Accident & Emergency and the highest rates of bed occupancy.
“The Government urges caution before, during and after Christmas – particularly for those travelling.”