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What is Christmas looking like amid the coronavirus pandemic?

Photo credit: andresr - Getty Images
Photo credit: andresr - Getty Images

From Cosmopolitan

It's been almost eight months since the country first went into lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic. In the months that followed, there was a vague semblance of normality when restaurants and bars reopened in the summer, family members were allowed to meet up and those shielding were told it was safe enough for them to leave their homes.

Fast forwards to mid-September, and Prime Minister Boris Johnson made another address to the nation, this time announcing strict guidelines would need to be implemented again.

Those new rules included a a strict 10pm curfew on all pubs, bars and restaurants, which will also be restricted to table service only, no gatherings indoors or outdoors for groups larger than six and working from home if you could.

Fast forward again to early-November, and a four week lockdown was imposed on England, which meant that all pubs and restaurants had to close, only essential shops could remain open and households were unable to mix unless bubbled.

And while we all know these stringent measures are for the safety of us and others, you'd be forgiven for being a little downcast. Especially when it comes to December 25th. Because the question we all want to know the answer to is -

What do the coronavirus rules mean for Christmas?

So, what will the current guidelines and impact of the covid-19 pandemic mean for celebrating this December? The good news is the government's medical adviser on covid, Susan Hopkins, said they were working on a plan and wanted Christmas to be "as close to normal as possible".

The prime minister's official spokesman, meanwhile, also confirmed ministers were "looking at ways to ensure that people can spend time with close family over Christmas at the end of what has been an incredibly difficult year".

Speculation predicts the plan could involve allowing families to mix indoors for a short period of time. According to The Sun, ministers are considering allowing people to mix for a short period of time from Christmas Eve until December 28, while the Express suggests it could last for three days and would allow gatherings of up to 10 people.

Photo credit: Tom Merton - Getty Images
Photo credit: Tom Merton - Getty Images

However, Professor Andrew Hayward said there would be a "cost" to families getting together, adding that for every day measures are eased, five days of tighter restrictions would be needed. A professor of infectious disease epidemiology at University College London, he said (via BBC:)

"Mixing at Christmas does pose substantial risks, particularly in terms of bringing together generations with high incidence of infection with the older generations who currently have much lower levels of infection and are at most risk of dying if they catch covid."

A Downing Street spokesman has said Christmas gathering rules and “details of the next phase” of restrictions will be unveiled before the end of the month and ahead of the December 2 deadline. So hopefully we'll have a better idea of what's allowed in due course.

It might sound like a grim state of affairs, and to be honest, it is. But if a lockdown Christmas is what it takes to stop the spread of the virus and save lives, then we've got to do what we've got to do.


The information in this story is accurate as of the publication date. While we are attempting to keep our content as up-to-date as possible, the situation surrounding the coronavirus pandemic continues to develop rapidly, so it's possible that some information and recommendations may have changed since publishing. For any concerns and latest advice, visit the World Health Organisation. If you're in the UK, the National Health Service can also provide useful information and support, while US users can contact the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

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