CHRISTMAS RULES CHAOS

Families CAN still get together to celebrate under UK-wide plans – but Sturgeon then announces guidance putting limits on festive gatherings

CHRISTMAS plans descended into chaos yesterday as Scots were warned not to take advantage of a relaxation of Covid restrictions.

nicola Sturgeon urged people to spend Christmas at home – or limit family visits to only one day.

She also cautioned against travelling from high prevalence areas to parts of the country with lower virus infection rates, and urged Scots not to plan overnight stays ‘unless it is unavoidable’.

restrictions will be relaxed between December 23 and 27, but fears of a surge in cases sparked a series of warnings.

The First Minister added to the confusion by saying she would not be changing the Christmas rules, before strongly urging people not to travel or visit relatives.

She said celebrations could be held outside with as few people as possible if families’ plans cannot be altered.

Boris Johnson echoed Miss Sturgeon’s

warnings as he urged people to keep their celebrations ‘short’ and ‘small’.

It prompted fears the public would be confused after six basic rules for Christmas essentially became 12 restrictions.

Speaking at her daily briefing, the First Minister said: ‘Firstly and unequivocally, the safest way to spend Christmas for you and for those you love is to stay within your own household and your own home.

‘My strong recommendation is this is what you should do if at all possible.’

She urged those forming a Christmas bubble only to meet up with people on one day, if possible, and not to stay overnight ‘unless it is unavoidable’.

She stressed the need to limit numbers, saying: ‘In short if you have to form a bubble keep it as small as possible.’

Despite concerns expressed by the Prime Minister and the leaders of the devolved UK nations, the relaxation of rules will still go ahead, but with additional guidance.

This could throw Christmas into chaos for thousands across the country – with families doubting whether they should go ahead with pre-arranged plans to see their loved ones over the festive period, or travel to other parts of the UK.

Under the current plans for Christmas, people can form a ‘bubble’ comprised of three households – allowing them to meet in homes, places of worship or other outdoor spaces.

Travel between tiers, levels and UK nations will be allowed over the short period. But yesterday Miss Sturgeon urged Scots only to meet those not from their household outdoors.

And she said if people felt meeting was ‘essential’ this should be limited to one of the five days.

Mr Johnson gave a similar message at his Downing Street briefing following the completion of four-nation discussions. He said: ‘A smaller Christmas is going to be a safer Christmas.’

England’s chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty said modelling indicated the looser restrictions would lead to more deaths. He said: ‘Any kind of period where people come together in groups that otherwise wouldn’t meet leads to an increase in risks and that will lead to an increase in hospitalisations and deaths.’

He suggested it was not worth the risk of meeting the ‘ most vulnerable’ until they have been vaccinated.

‘We are tantalisingly close to the stage where anybody who gets into trouble as a result of actions this Christmas would have been protected in the very near future,’ Professor Whitty added.

‘It is very important people think about that when they make decisions over the next few weeks.’

His advice for Christmas was: ‘Keep it small, keep it short, keep it local and think of the most vulnerable people.’

In Wales, First Minister Mark Drakeford announced a break from the four-nation plans – with only two households allowed to meet together, by law. This can be extended to include an additional person if they live alone.

He also revealed Wales will plunge back into lockdown on December 28 following a surge in Covid-19 cases with growing pressure on the NHS.

Yesterday, Mr Drakeford said: ‘ Everywhere in the United Kingdom the message we will be giving is the same: do the least you need to do this Christmas, use the freedoms responsibly, carefully and cautiously and think always of the impact that that will have on your own safety and the safety of others.’

Changes in Northern Ireland are yet to be announced, with health officials set to meet and discuss plans with the Health Minister.

SO much for the ‘four nations’ approach – with Christmas just over a week away, it has come apart at the seams.

Now we have a hotchpotch of measures designed to row back on the i nitial dispensations over the festive period.

Nicola Sturgeon was instrumental in drawing up the plans for relaxing the rules, which appeared to strike a sensible compromise. With Boris Johnson, she has changed tack to warn that while Covid curbs will be eased, we shouldn’t necessarily take advantage of the flexibility.

Instead, we’re urged to keep any ‘bubble’ as small as possible; avoid travel and overnight stays unless unavoidable; and comply with all distancing and hygiene advice. By now, many will have made travel plans, and the elderly and vulnerable trying to work out what the altered guidelines mean will be worried and confused.

There’s no doubt that bleak forecasts of soaring daily caseload numbers and a viral mutation have forced this partial U-turn.

But the messaging from governments on both sides of the Border has been woefully muddled. The Welsh crackdown is set to be much more stringent, as the two-household limit will be legally enforceable.

And technically mixing indoors in Scotland will be allowed, though it’s not advisable, with outdoor, socially- distanced ( and weather-dependent) reunions preferred.

But Miss Sturgeon has said that, if possible, interaction with other households should happen on only one of the five days of festive ‘easement’. Quite what we’re supposed to make of these contradictory instructions is, frankly, anyone’s guess.

After a traumatic year, all we want is to celebrate Christmas safely – and make sure we don’t spread this deadly disease.

But last-minute tinkering with the rules isn’t helping any of us to achieve that simple objective. Of course, it’s a minefield for ministers and their scientific advisers as they attempt to balance personal freedoms with protecting the NHS.

One consolation is that in 2021, as the Covid vaccine is rolled out swiftly – and that will be a real test for the SNP Government – the misery of lockdown should recede.

In the meantime, is it too much to ask of our leaders that they make their advice comprehensible, cogent and crystal clear – and stick to it?