Prepare for a low-key Christmas, England Covid experts warn

[Northerner]

People should prepare for a low-key Christmas, or even one spent outdoors, public health experts have said, because the second lockdown might not significantly suppress the rate of coronavirus infections.

Officials and ministers are still awaiting key data on the effectiveness of the four-week restrictions imposed across England, meaning a promised update to parliament on the next steps is unlikely to happen before late next week.

Scientists said that while they accepted the economic need for shops and hospitality businesses to reopen before the crucial festive season, the advent of seemingly effective vaccines meant people could consider postponing big family get-togethers.

“We really have to be careful that we don’t just focus on what is going to happen in six weeks’ time,” said Prof Catherine Noakes, a member of the government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage), who was speaking to the Guardian in a personal capacity.

Ban household-mixing and travel between tiers after lockdown, BMA urges

Doctor’s organisation says without tough action NHS will be overwhelmed by Covid patients

www.theguardian.com

 

[Vonny]

Hey ho, looks like our small family (3 of us) will be eating the remains of the turkey crown for months. Had to order a fairly decent sized one just in case, as I've never knowingly under-catered for friends and extended family in my life 🙄

 

[Drummer]

I had an appointment in Poole High Street this afternoon, and so many businesses are gone, the shops are empty or deserted/abandoned. I am sure that there will be recovery, particularly once the various vaccines begin to make a difference - but things are certainly going to be different for the rest of my lifetime, and there will be long lasting changes to how we live and work.

 

[nonethewiser]

People should prepare for a low-key Christmas

No problem there, low key every year with not much fuss, overexaggerated & overhyped time of year.

Bah humbug

 

[KARNAK]

I ordered a four legged turkey from the local butchers, had a phone call
this morning from the butchers he said sorry Ted can`t supply your turkey.
I said but I`ve arranged Christmas dinner for quite a few family & friends
what`s the problem? sheepishly he whispered because we can`t catch
the bleeding (would have been a bleep normally) the thing its too fast.

Welcome to lockdown.

 

[mikeyB]

I’m with @nonethewiser on this. And Scrooge. A low key Christmas is normal for us, apart from the excess insulin use. My guess is a meal at daughter’s then home before they have to do their duty with son-in-law’s enormous extended family. I’d just fall asleep, I do that rather a lot these days.

I also hate turkey. Foreign bird. A couple of Quail would do for me, and taste of something.

Right, that’s my annual grump over🙂

 

[Eddy Edson]

Christmas ... bah humbug!

 

[grovesy]

We never have grand Xmas anyway. Having had to work many Xmases, in the past , I don't give it much thought.

 

[Annemarie]

So much in the press/ TV at missing our usual Christmas events, get togethers but we are a multicultural society yet Eid and Diwali passed without comment except when the rules were ignored which I know is already planned by some families for December 25th. With that attitude I don’t see how Christmas lockdown/limited numbers could possibly be enforced

 

[Lucy Honeychurch]

There's just us and the mum in law so no different for us.

 

[Ljc]

I am with @nonethewiser and @Eddy Edson here. Their is only the two of us, we haven’t had a traditional for some years and won’t be having one this year either. I do normally get some treats in.

The way things are going round here we may still be in so called lock down at Christmas,
Swale which is not very far from me , according to our local radio atm has the highest % rate of Corvid in the country, my area Thanet is 15th , we’re told it’s due to some shops interpreting the rules to suit themselves ie opening when they shouldn’t be, and people not wearing face coverings in enclosed areas and keeping there distance.

 

[Northerner]

Must admit, I think this talk about a '5-day break' for Christmas, allowing more mixing, sounds really dangerous It's not just the meeting-up, it's all the movement around the country that takes place, giving opportunity for people to take infections across borders, on transport and in public places. And you can't tell me that people who are given 5 days for Christmas won't then want 5 days for New Year just a week later Personally, I wouldn't want to give an elderly relative a hug, thinking I might kill them People celebrate Christmas these days because of the holiday they normally get - I always remember the scheming people would go to to insert a few holiday days in between the statutory ones so they could have a fortnight off. It would be better if the government set aside a future period to shift that holiday to, when things were under control.

 

[Thebearcametoo]

We’re a mixed celebratory family (none of us religious as such but have different upbringings) so will be doing both Hanukkah and Christmas with just us this year instead of seeing various family. Even if lockdown is lifted I don’t think people travelling and staying overnight is a good idea. We are normally quite sociable over the season and will miss our big gatherings but it’s just one year and we’ll make up for it once it’s safe.

 

[Lanny]

It would be better if the government set aside a future period to shift that holiday to, when things were under control.

That’s a really good idea! 🙂😎

Then, everybody can join in & enjoy themselves guilt free! Christmas is most likely not the correct time, many historians say, anyway & so what if it’s moved to another time after vaccines have been administered so, we’re that bit safer & less dangerous to others!

Personally, I wouldn't want to give an elderly relative a hug, thinking I might kill them

That really puts a different spin on things! 😱

 

[nonethewiser]

Must admit, I think this talk about a '5-day break' for Christmas, allowing more mixing, sounds really dangerous It's not just the meeting-up, it's all the movement around the country that takes place, giving opportunity for people to take infections across borders, on transport and in public places. And you can't tell me that people who are given 5 days for Christmas won't then want 5 days for New Year just a week later

Did you not here Northie, virus is taking 5 day break to allow folk to enjoy Christmas together.

 

[pm133]

Leaving Christmas aside, I am looking forward to getting back to a time when the majority of our population weren't absolutely petrifed of their own shadow as regards covid.
Decades from now when this is all a distant memory, it's the mass panicking which will stay with me. It's incredibly frustrating to have to be around that all the time.

 

[Northerner]

Leaving Christmas aside, I am looking forward to getting back to a time when the majority of our population weren't absolutely petrifed of their own shadow as regards covid.
Decades from now when this is all a distant memory, it's the mass panicking which will stay with me. It's incredibly frustrating to have to be around that all the time.

It is hard to put things in perspective sometimes. Depends how risk-averse you are, I suppose. I think the (English) government have taken the tack of trying to instil fear rather than encourage compliance, and have lost all trust. That was brought home to me by a Sky News graph yesterday which showed how there was a big surge in people going out in English cities just before the English lockdown, yet barely a flicker when tough restrictions were brought in in Glasgow - there is greater trust and compliance in Sturgeon.

 

[grovesy]

I am sick of the government trying to over promise and using useless terms such as Covid Safe environments.

 

[pm133]

It is hard to put things in perspective sometimes. Depends how risk-averse you are, I suppose. I think the (English) government have taken the tack of trying to instil fear rather than encourage compliance, and have lost all trust. That was brought home to me by a Sky News graph yesterday which showed how there was a big surge in people going out in English cities just before the English lockdown, yet barely a flicker when tough restrictions were brought in in Glasgow - there is greater trust and compliance in Sturgeon.

It's worth remembering that relatively few people are even getting covid. Most of them are asymptomatic and only a tiny fraction require hospitalisation and only a fraction of those will die. People really should be able to step back, look at the numbers and stop engaging in mass hysteria. This isn't ebola or the black death.

There's far too much melodrama all round, not helped by the deeply patronising "Don't kill Granny" nonsense.

Anyway, that's my rant over for the day. 🙂

 

[Thebearcametoo]

It's worth remembering that relatively few people are even getting covid. Most of them are asymptomatic and only a tiny fraction require hospitalisation and only a fraction of those will die. People really should be able to step back, look at the numbers and stop engaging in mass hysteria. This isn't ebola or the black death.

There's far too much melodrama all round, not helped by the deeply patronising "Don't kill Granny" nonsense.

Anyway, that's my rant over for the day. 🙂

But those of us who know people who have died would rather not be the ones to spread it to others ‍♀️ I’m delighted for you if you don’t personally know anyone who has died or been seriously ill with it but I am worried about my friends who are currently seriously ill with it. And most of the people I know have got it recently not back in March/April. So I will be continuing to do my part of not spreading it if at all possible.