Christmas Fears, Tiers and maybe hold the Beers

With the end of the pandemic now in sight, are big celebrations at Christmas really worth the risk? 

This Christmas, families across the UK will be able to meet for five days, without social distancing. The Government’s assessments suggest that Christmas will lead to an increase in transmission of the virus so why are they going ahead with these plans? 

The brutal reality is many people will lose their lives as a direct result of Christmas celebrations. The mental impact on those who unwittingly pass the virus onto vulnerable family members will be huge. The risk is particularly troublesome given the real prospect of vaccines on the horizon; it is even possible that we could see a return to normality by Easter. It would be particularly heart breaking to lose a loved one when the end of the pandemic is within sight. 

The Christmas measures will heap more pressure onto the NHS at what is, even in normal circumstances, the busiest time of the year. January and February are traditionally flu season while there are more accidents and injuries caused by poor weather. Christmas could cause a third wave of the Coronavirus that has the potential to overwhelm the NHS. 

The announcement of the new tiering system, which has left 99% of the English population in the top two tiers, has further complicated matters. The Christmas plans risk spreading Coronavirus around the country as people travel between tier 2 and tier 3 areas. Professor Devi Sridhar believes the plans significantly raise the prospect of another national lockdown in January. Is this worth a couple of days at Christmas? 

Given the risks involved with the Christmas plans, it is worrying that there have been so few measures put in place to make Christmas safer. Schools, one of the biggest drivers of the pandemic, will remain open to the last Friday before Christmas, giving the disease encouragement to spread before families come together. There has been nothing to promote a period of self-isolation before travelling. Furthermore, mass testing is not yet widespread enough to allow people to get a test before travelling to reduce their risk to others. The lack of pre-emptive measures is a struggle to comprehend. 

Even if protective measures were in place, why should Christian festivals be treated differently to other religions? Other religions have seen their festivals celebrated under the confines of strict restrictions. The Hindu festival of Diwali was celebrated under England’s second national lockdown in November while the Jewish festival of Passover occurred during the first lockdown. The treatment of the Muslim festival of Eid is particularly galling with local restrictions in the North-West quickly ushered in just before it began. Many of those practising other religions have a right to feel aggrieved at the treatment that Christmas will receive. 

Despite all this, for many people, the Christmas plans could present a significant mental health boost in what has been a horrible year. They could provide families with a much needed boost to see them through to the hopeful return of normality in 2021. The Governments of the UK are also in a difficult position. If tight restrictions remained in place, many people would just have ignored them. The current plans at least force people to think more about the risks they are taking and give them clear limits to work within. 

That said the safest way to spend Christmas is apart. Meeting outside reduces the chances of transmission so perhaps replace Christmas dinner with a Christmas walk. If meeting inside, keep windows open and wear masks to decrease the likelihood of transmission. The end of this pandemic is for the first time within sight, don’t risk losing a loved one now.