Public must self-isolate for five days before Christmas travel, says PM
Boris Johnson has urged the public to self-isolate for five days before visiting friends and family over Christmas, as the Prime Minister refused to U-turn on plans to relax coronavirus restrictions.
“A smaller Christmas is going to be a safer Christmas, and a shorter Christmas is a safer Christmas,” Johnson told a Downing Street press conference.
“If you’re visiting others over Christmas we’re asking you in the five days beforehand, as early as this Friday, to reduce the number of people you’re in contact with to as low as possible.”
“Have yourselves a merry little Christmas”, the PM added. “But I’m afraid this year, I do mean little.”
Under government plans, regional tier restrictions will be lifted to allowed three households to meet and form a bubble between 23 and 27 December.
But ministers have faced mounting pressure to U-turn on guidance, following a sharp rise in coronavirus cases across the country, and the health secretary’s announcement that a new coronavirus mutation may be behind a spike in the southeast of England.
But Johnson today dug his heels in, announcing additional guidance alongside the relaxation of current coronavirus restrictions.
The PM urged people to avoid travelling from areas with a high prevalence of the virus to low prevalence areas in the run-up to Christmas.
The public should also “avoid staying away from home overnight”, and hold off on seeing elderly relatives until they have been vaccinated.
“Keep it small. Keep it short. Keep it local. And think of the most vulnerable people,” chief medical officer Chris Whitty said.
It comes after Johnson faced accusations of confusing the public in a bid to “save Christmas” this afternoon, as he told the Commons the UK had reached a “unanimous” agreement on Christmas plans, while the leaders of Wales and Scotland announced divergent plans in simultaneous press conferences.
Welsh first minister Mark Drakeford said the country will toughen current guidelines allowing three households to mix over Christmas, announcing that Wales will limit gatherings to two households.
“Nobody wants to be ill at Christmas. And none of us want to give this deadly disease to our closest family or friends,” he said. “So the advice in Wales cut it down to two households and stronger measures coming in after the Christmas period.”
Wales will enter a “Tier 4” lockdown when the five-day window for relaxed rules ends on 28 December, with Drakeford telling a press conference that it was the “right decision” to reduce Covid transmission.
“We have seen how a lower level of restrictions in London failed to contain the virus and now greater restrictions have to be in place,” he said. “Coronavirus is rising in every part of Wales. By taking action on an all-Wales basis, we act to protect people in every part of Wales.”
Scotland will also diverge from the current guidelines, with first minister Nicola Sturgeon announcing a limit on gatherings between different households to just one day on Christmas Day.
“We don’t intend to take away at the flexibility that in my view, wouldn’t be fear. At this stage, and it wouldn’t be realistic either and indeed, it may risk undermining rather than strengthening compliance with the overall Covid guidance,” said Sturgeon.
The government is set to publish full guidance on Christmas Covid rules later this evening.