5 day break...

And just because he said 5days DOESNT MEAN YOU HAVE TO USE THEM ALL- OR SPEND 5WHOLE DAYS WITH THEM!!!?

Remember Boris DID say "keep it short"!

Everything has pretty much been said on here about the risks involved with mixing, but maybe it’s worth remembering that for the vast majority of people, if they do catch the virus they will make a complete recovery.
That is also true for our age group, although of course the risk is higher.

Obviously those who are shielding and those with particular health issues will want to take extra care, but Covid-19 is not an automatic death sentence.

I’m not saying we should all throw caution to the wind, not at all, but just putting another perspective on the situation.

Well said Cambia that’s just what I was going to say !

Theres 2 such 'father christmases' Travelsafar! They are called Hermes and Royal Mail! ?

Let’s shut everything down for three weeks for goodness sake. We’ve had mass testing in our area which went from being quite good to worst in the country. There will still be idiots doing what they like as nothing is being policed. The government cannot get it right . When deaths reach 100,000 everyone will be moaning. The sooner we lock down properly the sooner it will subside especially now vaccinations have started.I know all the reasons for not doing it but there will be no point having a good economy if so many die . Not being miserable just realistic.

Travelsafar
What do you mean “IF there was a real Father Christmas” Are you suggesting he’s not real? OMG my entire life has been built on a lie.
Christmas is ruined ??

Why wouldn’t you want to spend time alone with just you? You are precious and unique and worth looking after. It’s only one Christmas.
Even if it’s your last you can be proud that that’s what you spent this Christmas doing. Protecting others and yourself. Use the time instead to reflect, meditate, pray. The first Christmas was pretty simple it’s ok if yours is too.

I don't understand why Christmas should be treated differently to any other religious celebration. There were no 'days off' for Eid, Diwali or Hanukah. What makes Christmas different? We're not a Christian country although many people see themselves as nominal Christians e.g. they mark CofE on a list of religions when they go into hospital but in reality they don't practise their faith. Practising Christians know that Easter is the most important festival so there really is no need to have 'time off' from Covid. Of course it could be that we're all Pagans at heart and can't bear to give up our mid-Winter celebrations.

I agree very much with Cambia. Perhaps because most of our family have had Covid ,I am not fearful as so many others are. I think part of this fear is generated by politicians, the media and even some in the medical profession. Two of our children are doctors so I well understand the pressures of the job. Both of us are classified as CEV - clinically extremely vulnerable- husband had a kidney transplant and I have fortnightly injections for RA. Therefore compromised immune systems. We nevertheless recovered from Covid in March/April - lucky I guess. We have been careful and sensible but not scared. Jonathan Sumption has written regularly about the whole situation - there is a good article in the Telegraph today. I agree with him.

Wasn't it Mark Twain that said that common sense ain't that common?
People will do what they will do, and very little anyone can do now to stop them. The first lockdown only worked so well because everyone was terrified, and that won't happen again.
All we can do is manage our own situation, do our own risk assessment, and do what you feel is right for you.
If neighbours are disobeying rules, then let them bide, as my granny used to say. Unless there are 150 of them partying on your lawn of course. You will just drive yourself Xmas crackers if you watch everyone else.
The vaccination programme is marching forward now, so try and look on the positive side and look forward to better times.

I think most have already made up their minds already . There will be the stupid and the sensible . I feel schools could have done more to educate children . I think there should have been hard hitting videos made which included young people who have caught severe Covid shown in schools. My 11 year old granddaughter only hears it from family . School corridors are crowded and outdoors they huddle in great numbers and freely use washroom facilities . I could go on but I feel people have already got the message.

There's plenty to blame govt policies for without waiting for people to mix too much over Christmas.
One is the shortage of nursing and care home staff which puts more pressure on the NHS than anything - Are the new Nightingale hospitals all in operation.
Another is losing the trust and goodwill of teachers, all those who work in schools and many parents.

I feel for you Jinty64- my 17 yr old is still in college(he's my youngest child) he has severe asthma and a neurological condition& other problems- he got very ill (not covid) just a different bug, after 3days back in college in september- but in last 2 wks they've forced him to go back or threatened him with kicking him out of college as his attendance had dropped so low- no amount of explaining i did about his health did any good! Now I've got a letter from consultant to say he's sending the hospital trust a recommendation he be put on extremely clinically vulnerable list so if we have lockdown again he can work at home! They are also trying to force him (and other students) to do work experience- in a pandemic! Its bloody madness!?

Use markets? It was supposed to be a bl**dy market it was started in wasnt it??

For some Christmas is hugely significant and others less so. We all have a different perspective, and reasons for our decisions.

For me, I think it is extremely difficult to “be careful” with others inside, having a meal and socialising.
Tiny aerosol droplets circulate better inside than out and can stay in the atmosphere. You would need a drought blowing constantly through the room to dilute them. You need a big house to stay 2 metres apart at all times. You need to keep your to own serving utensils etc. Too much to expect realistically?

Legally we're 'allowed" but really don't like that word. Morally and ethically, it's down to each individual according to their own conscience.

Despite the best efforts of most of the population 'rules' are not working. This virus is to be spreading like a forest fire. It seems to like rain - think I read somewhere that droplets hang for longer in moist air. Remember last summer when we threatened with huge rises infection after all those crowds on the south coast beaches? And did that happen? No.
It's peak rain season coming upon us that seems to me the most worrying thing.

NO I will not be panicking and I will see my friends for Christmas dinner ....New Year break has been cancelled so I will get in something nice and sit in front of the tele .......BUT we MUST get some sense of normality back or we never will .....we are told the NHS is overwhelmed but I was at my large local hospital in a City this week for an appointment and it was so quiet ........I think, as is reported in the local press, they do still have one or two COVID patients but they told me they themselves have NOT been overwhelmed. The question I would ask is, if other hospitals ARE overwhelmed so that no one awaiting life saving cancer or other surgery is not being treated and, as I read in the papers this week, one poor man was put off so many times that he died of a cancer that he need not have and he was a young family man of only around 30 something .....there has to be a way to get hospitals back to treating people such as he. What has happened to the specially built Nightingale hospitals ? we have heard nothing about them from Boris ....where I live there are three COVID testing centres ....I pass a large one most days ...there is capacity for around 50 cars or more foot patients.......on only one day did I see two cars ..............so, is the situation out of hand, or not ? or would the government have us all believing it is so we obey what they dictate ?

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

It was ridiculous from day one anyone with half a brain could see that it would cause more problems in the new year
Why the rules could have NOT been relaxed for one year seems totally against anything we have all been trying for for nearly a year He, (I can’t bear to say the name), thinks this will make him popular he ll be the jolly good egg who let the minions make Merry
It s interesting to hear on Radio 4 today they were talking about the countries with woman leaders have done better with clearer regulations and the very worst ones have been the countries led by populists I think we have all worked that one out
I just hope most people have more brains and do what’s best smaller, briefer and less travelling and fingers crossed

Christmas should have been 'cancelled' this year ages ago. No mixing allowed. It would have helped with planning (non-planning!) We'd be in a better place come the spring. I feel for all NHS staff.

A friend in the US told me that they relaxed the rules in her area for Thanksgiving and had a massive peak a couple of weeks later.

We don't have to mix for 5 days, you can make it only one if you so choose. Happy Xmas

AlanaV I don't know where your local hospital is, but yesterday at 8am there were 15,866 patients with confirmed Covid in English hospitals. 1190 were in ventilation beds. (Sorry, I don't know the stats for the other UK countries.)

There were 451 confirmed Covid patients on 2 September, so you can see the increase in three and a half months.

Sadly, the death rate of those serious enough to be admitted to hospital is still (despite better treatments) nearly 20%, so that's approximately 3000 people, who will probably die.

I have a friend on Facebook who works in my nearest large hospital and she says that all the critical care beds are full. Some beds are being brought into emergency use and some patients are being sent home before medical staff think is ideal.