Social distancing in Christmas bubbles

Pollyperkins says she is seeing family and will be careful. Forgive me if this sounds rude, but eating lunch across or around a table will make being careful irrelevant. If you spend time near another person without a mask on for more than around 15 min I think, you are at risk. As the experts have said, just because you can doesn’t mean you should. Please ask yourselves whether one lunch is more important than the future

DS, DiL and DGD will sit in our conservator will sit in our conservatory for Christmas breakfast with presents to and from them which will have been quarantined for 3 days. Table will be laid with paper plates etc. which can be left in there for a few days afterwards before clearing. There will be hand sanitiser on the table. Husband and I will be in the sitting room, rather more than 2 metres away from them. They will leave after breakfast. I think that is as safe as it can be.

Totally agree with you Patticake

NannanTo4

Lots of us are in the same boat. I suppose we are lucky that we still have one DS at home doing his university course from home. I do feel sorry for him with just mum and dad for company. He did meet up with friends over the summer but is locked down again with us. Not all young people are out partying.

It’s going to be a day of Russian roulette. I’d rather we were on our own. I’ve got a husband who had to shield and has made it this far. Daughter a few houses away with a 4 month old baby and son coming too to hers. Her husband is working ( A and E Doctor) but we’ve said we will only go to her house, Windows open and masks on but we will make and bring food for them to save her cooking. I don’t think we will stay for long at all. Fingers x next year will be back to normal.

I really can’t agree with the government relaxing the rules because people will break them anyway.
Speed limits in built up areas are 30 mph because it is shown that injury is less likely to be severe if hit by a car. Many people break that law so should we make it 40mph and risk more maiming and deaths just because a few can’t be law abiding.
I wish the government had just told us all to stay at home unless we live alone and can form a safe bubble if we feel we need to.
What happened to protecting the NHS?
What happened to we’re all in it together?
I wish everyone would hold back until the vaccine has been rolled out to everyone over 60 at least.

We will not be getting together this Christmas, sad but want everyone to stay safe. We will celebrate Christmas together when things get better, hopefully after the vaccine stops the spread. If it is March, June, July or whenever we will open our pressies together then. We have all agreed and when it finally happens we will all have a wonderful day.

I agree with those of you who think this is madness. If you must though, as well as opening windows and doors for ‘cross-passage’ ventilation, please also consider investing in one or more portable air purifiers with Hepa filters, a humidifier and a CO2 monitor. Might save your life.

We won't be mixing, and, like so many others this means not seeing loved ones we normally would at this time (Some of those we wont have seen for a year). However, in order to keep them, us and others safe, we've decided it's better to stay put and not mix in close, confined spaces no matter how hard it is. Some people just don't get it, I'm afraid, but whatever the Government advises, some will interpret things to suit their own agenda, and do their own thing believing the virus couldn't possibly target them and theirs, only other people... ?

Why on Earth did we stand outside banging saucepans and clapping for the NHS staff if we now guarantee a spike in Covid cases after Christmas? Christmas is a special occasion but for one year, surely it is not beyond us to behave like educated adults and stay away from mixed gatherings.

When I first heard the relaxation of rules for Christmas I was overjoyed. I have never spent a Christmas without one of my children. And since grandchildren have come along we now have our own fabulous 5 day Christmas of new traditions combined with some from when my girls were young.
However, as time has passed I have become more and more anxious to the extent that I have now told them I won’t be attending. It has broken me. Heart and head.
I know there is no way I can be even in their vicinity without hugging and smelling my 4 grandchildren, holding and squeezing my daughters and sons in law.
I have not left my home, other than for a few weeks in the summer when I would drive from my driveway to theirs, since before lockdown in March. So, I had a talk with myself and decided, for once in my life, to go with my head.
I am not paranoid, but we have done everything by the book for 9 months and to throw it all away for 5 days does seem a waste of everything we have done.
Every day, more than once, I nearly change my mind - but I know it’s the right thing to do
One son in law is a firefighter, and although they are all checked before they start work no one knows what they are leaving work with. All 4 grandchildren are at school and nursery and because I haven’t mixed with people for so long I am suspecting my immune system has gone to sleep.
Roll on my turn in the queue for vaccine. I’m 64 so at least I am nearer the top of the list than the bottom.
And thank goodness for modern technology

If during the war the Government had said 'Well just for five days over Christmas you need not put your blackouts up at the windows - the enemy will definitely be able to see where you are but you can let the enemy see you if you want to'. Would you have done it? Not I, and I'm not going to risk the virus getting into our homes at Christmas - it's not worth it! There's only one way to stop the spread - by not mixing and especially (although it breaks my heart) by not mixing indoors with those we love the most.

One of the problems is that a number of families think they can change there bubbles day by day, once your maximum of three bubbles is formed that is it. The other problem is that you may form a three bubble meet but each one of the orhter bubbles could have other bubbles and so on. Not worth the risk.

We will be doing Hermes visits this year, drive up to the house, throw presents over the fence and drive off quickly.

I think the government have had to allow people to meet with restrictions. Far to many would just ignore the rules in any case! Both of my sons are coming. One is in our bubble the other with my daughter in law on boxing day. we have a large house and we have been given instructions to move all the furniture around so we are not sitting near each other! Role on the vaccine!

It is going to be horrendous come January...big spike in cases and unnecessary deaths. All for the sake of meeting up at Christmas. Why cant people just wait?

I decided at the start f this pandemic lark that I would shut up and do a I’m told. It’s been difficult but, hopefully, worthwhile. As I live in Spain it hasn’t been too difficult apart from staying here over the summer. I cannot imagine being with my sons and their children and not hugging them. And what would I do if my 2year old DGS wanted to climb onto my knee - push him away?!?!?! Hardly! Maybe better to stay away and continue cyber grsnnying. I know my place - somewhere between his other, flesh and blood, grandparents and Pepe pig and captain underpants ??

We’re not going to meet with our adult children and their children. Who wants to inadvertently give or receive the ‘gift’ of Covid?

They are testing out the herd immunity!

I think it was Daisy who said, rather like Brexit this pandemic seems to have divided people into the fearful and the fearless.
And then there's those in between like me who will be seeing family at Christmas, after making a risk assessment and whilst taking every precaution.

Do we need all this .........
the government is stupid
we will all pay for this next year
ridiculous, dreadful, scandalous etc.
Most families won't actually be breaking the law, they're not doing anything wrong.
Look at other European countries, they are allowed 10 or 12 people at a time over Christmas and New Year. I think our government has got it just about right, though I agree with those here who say there will still be many rule breakers, and I do think they are being selfish.

Sorry that comes across as really miserable!

The government have had to make some awful choices throughout all of this. I really don't think Labour would have been any betters faced with the same choices. Lock down was soft right from the start and too many people broke rules because they knew they wouldn't be punished.

I'm sure they have been swayed by idiots in the media. They asked the most stupid questions at the daily updates. Will Christmas be cancelled Prime Minister?

Pity he didn't say yes.

We all know now that there will be a massive spike after Christmas. Whether the Government allowed it or not, people would still go ahead and mix. Hopefully by limiting it to 3 households, people just might listen. We will visit my daughter's for an hour on Christmas morning. Both her and her hubby have just come out of being ill with covid, so know the rules well. We'll also spend around 30 mins with our son and his family. They've also obeyed all the rules and as the children are in their teens they understand what they can and can't do. Merry Christmas everyone and keep safe.

We are planning to see 2 of our daughters so a bubble of 3 But on different days. That way social distancing will be easier. Non of our Grandchildren are in school, one sil is going to work from home for the next 2 weeks and the other isn't coming, because he works in school. They are all doing the best they can to still see us and protect us too

It can't work. Numbers will rise in January. The government has only done this because they know people will flout the rules. Over 3,000 deaths today in America. This virus isn't subsiding It's dreadful. We need to be patient and write off this Christmas.

well , at the time I thought the "clapping" a bit.... huh!

pay more money, help,,,

but then I am a practical person, (sighs)

yes, I agree , open windows, heating up, windows open... most basic of things to do..