Social distancing in Christmas bubbles

Mapleleaf

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... ?

I totally agree with you. We’re in a similar position.
My neighbour’s daughter is a nurse on the coronary care unit of a big London hospital. She has tested positive for Covid as have all the nurses on the ward and all the patients unfortunately. Now these are staff used to using PPE and understand how cross infections can occur. It was a Covid free ward but they still used basic PPE. However the virus has still spread despite them being tested twice weekly. So sitting 2m apart and opening windows may help for 30 mins but it isn’t going to stop infection over a Christmas Day.
It’s people that travel not the virus.
I’m imagining how that hospital ward is going to be staffed- will some of the patients die from Covid as they are all vulnerable and how many others waiting for urgent treatment will be postponed.
We all need to think of the inevitable toll on the NHS when there is a spike in infection after Christmas. The vaccine is on its way we just need to hold firm for a while longer to see our families.

Close your eyes and imagine all of your loved ones surrounding you. Nice, isn't it. Now imagine that one or more of those people are not there in the next 3-6 months because everyone thought we couldn't wait to gather. It's another what? Six months? I love my loved ones enough to wait. I can do this. It stinks! Yes, I hate it. But, waiting won't kill me. I wish you all a safe and loving holiday. Merry Christmas.

My grandchildren are going to be with us for lunch on Christmas Day.They are going to have a table in the conservatory and separate dishes of food,we will eat in the dining room with our dishes of food.We are trying to be sensible and staying as far apart as possible,but still able to chat.

SpanielNanny I appreciate you coming back and explaining your reasoning and demographic details about the low risk of contracting Covid by household mixing in your town. Thank you. It is interesting, and I agree with you that possibly people may feel complacent if after family fun at Christmas they escape virus free.

However there are so many variables to take into consideration aren’t there? My area has a many more cases of Covid than yours per head of population, and many may be travelling from high risk areas over Christmas to see loved ones in lower risk areas. University students will be travelling home from all over the U.K., and children, particularly secondary school age, where the virus is spreading, will be mixing with their GPs.

Listening to the Alternative Sage Group today (Fridays 1.30 YouTube) they gave their 3 Point Plan for Christmas, available on their website, which made much more sense than the Government’s. They also mentioned that lateral flow tests can give a faulty sense of security, in that a huge 50% can be false negatives. How concerning is that?

Lastly, everyone has to weigh up their individual risk, which may indeed be low, BUT this year figures show that 1 in 1,000 people have died of Covid.
Which means of course that 999 haven’t, but for each one person in a thousand, there are grieving relatives and a life cut short.

I've stuck to the rules and missed so much this year; so have my immediate family. If there had been no hope in sight we would probably have worn a mask, and seen each other as close to the rules as we could be on Christmas Day.
As it is, we have hope, we have a vaccine, and I will not fall at the last hurdle and with the end in sight. It's not worth it for a roast dinner that we can have later in 2021.

Canada has had a terrible rise in infection rates which seems to have started at Thanksgiving. We mustn’t make the same mistake here....

That's just how we see it Rosina.

We won’t be seeing my dd and gc at Christmas. It’s a hard decision as we will miss seeing the children opening our/their gifts and will be alone for the whole time, but as has been said we have been careful for 10 months, we can hold our a bit longer. To be safe. Plan is a delayed family meet up in the spring. Sad but much sadder if one of us was missing next Christmas.

We have decided to have a Zoom present opening of our presents to each other, and another later in the day for general conversation.