Office parties: shelved for another year?
Are you confused about what to do over the festive season? Wondering if it’s sensible to go to a party, or even to visit relatives? You are not alone, said the Daily Mirror. “The Government hasn’t a clue either.” Over four days last week, it issued a blizzard of contradictory messages. Dr Jenny Harries of the UK Health Security Agency kicked it off by saying that we shouldn’t socialise “when we don’t particularly need to”, prompting much scratching of heads about what kinds of social events we “need” to attend. The Work and Pensions Secretary Thérèse Coffey then rowed back, saying parties were fine, so long as there was not much “snogging under the mistletoe”. Health Secretary Sajid Javid was quick to stress, however, that snogging under the mistletoe (a “family tradition” in his home) was not being banned, and that we should “enjoy ourselves” – only for the Science Minister, George Freeman, to say that he advised against large parties, and that his departmental gathering had been cancelled.
People “shouldn’t be cancelling things”, was the PM’s response. His stance is not surprising, said The Guardian. He is by “temperament a rule-breaker not a rule-maker”; and he knows that many Tory backbenchers, and sections of the tabloid press, would be outraged if he ruined Christmas for a variant that may yet prove to be mild. But he is himself aware that Omicron could be a serious threat – hence the deliberate policy of ambivalence.
What we are seeing, said Maggie Pagano on Reaction, is lockdown imposed by stealth.
It only took a few officials to issue dire warnings for some companies to cancel their festive parties – which set off a domino effect. Firms don’t want to “give in to the fear-mongering”, but nor do they want to be responsible for their staff getting ill, so they’re erring on the side of caution: some are re-imposing mask mandates, or asking staff to work from home. Meanwhile, ordinary people are so bewildered, or fearful, that they’re imposing voluntary curfews, said Judith Woods in The Daily Telegraph. It’s “bleak” for those of us who were hoping for a bit of festive cheer this year; and for pubs and restaurants, which are now facing a flood of no-shows and cancellations, it is devastating.