So Covid takes a break for Christmas then

[Nanna Frozen]

I know in USA they are trying to advise people how to take precautions if having family gatherings at Thanksgiving( ie eat outside if weather permits, though that’s not likely to apply to many of us! . Don’t share utensils, don’t serve food buffet style, keep space between family groups where possible, good ventilation where possible etc). I suppose we could wear masks when not eating / drinking etc. Maybe the govt could put out some guidelines( though I doubt us lot on here need them) but it might help people to focus on trying to keep risk of infection down while having their family around them.

It will be easy for us, there would only be 6 of us, we’ve got a biggish house, a dining table where households could space out from each other, and nobody is bothered about drinking much ( though I do like a glass of fizz while cooking!).
Also reduce contact in the lead up to Christmas and the days after as much as practible, people might be prepared to do this sort of thing if it means spending time with family on Christmas Day.

Of course the really vulnerable need to be carefully considered, each family would need to make their own risk assessment for their own particular circumstances.

[123]

Originally Posted by aprilshack

It just seems to be a no win situation. You don't see your family its depressing and doesn't help mental health, see your family and you mix with other people and they in turn may go back to work/mix with other people and that helps spread covid.

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It's probably going to sound heartless, but the mental health reason is getting over-used. It is one Christmas, we should be able to get through that.

(I appreciate some will find it difficult - but the majority will just be bored, not suffering from mental health issues)

There is a very real virus here, that kills, that surely trumps a little discomfort and dissapointment

[Bozza]

Originally Posted by aprilshack

It just seems to be a no win situation. You don't see your family its depressing and doesn't help mental health, see your family and you mix with other people and they in turn may go back to work/mix with other people and that helps spread covid.

See more...

I'm not saying it's right, but I can understand the reasoning, if that's what it is.

As ever with this, I'm glad I'm not the one having to make the decisions.

[novocastrian]

Originally Posted by caj

I find this really offensive to those Muslins, Hindus and Jews (and probably othtrs) who have missed festivals during lockdown. And now a Christian festival can be made an exception of. If we need a string of rules then so be it. It's a day. Weve done the rest of the year ...

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only 4 % of the population follow islam, 1.3 % hindu 0.4% jewish 0.7% sikh

60% christian with 25% no religion but lets face it take christmas as a gimme

data from 2011 census

so seems fair to me? to cater for the majority

[123]

Originally Posted by Nanna Frozen

I know in USA they are trying to advise people how to take precautions if having family gatherings at Thanksgiving( ie eat outside if weather permits, though that’s not likely to apply to many of us! . Don’t share utensils, don’t serve food buffet style, keep space between family groups where possible, good ventilation where possible etc). I suppose we could wear masks when not eating / drinking etc. Maybe the govt could put out some guidelines( though I doubt us lot on here need them) but it might help people to focus on trying to keep risk of infection down while having their family around them.

It will be easy for us, there would only be 6 of us, we’ve got a biggish house, a dining table where households could space out from each other, and nobody is bothered about drinking much ( though I do like a glass of fizz while cooking!).
Also reduce contact in the lead up to Christmas and the days after as much as practible, people might be prepared to do this sort of thing if it means spending time with family on Christmas Day.

Of course the really vulnerable need to be carefully considered, each family would need to make their own risk assessment for their own particular circumstances.

See more...

Eating outside should be possible for about half of the US population (those living between CA and GA/FL) - It's just the soft Northerners that will complain about the potential for snow/ice that will need to be indoors

[Nanna Frozen]

I would just do it for 3 days as well, 24 th, 25 th, 26 th, then people isolate as much as possible for the following 8 days as a lot will be off school/ uni/work ( I know not all) until Jan 4 th .

[LoopyLoo07]

Hi, don’t worry I have already considered all that 🙂 there is a vivo clinic which has appointment s available on 29th and they say results would be between 8pm 30th and 12pm 31st. When I say book last minute, I mean literally last minute, wait until get negative test results and then book for the next day 😂. It just all comes down to the government letting us travel and whether or not we get a negative test! And getting down to London from Newcastle 🙈 oh how easy travel used to be!

Edit- was responding to ‘123’s comment, forgot to quote it!

[123]

Originally Posted by Nanna Frozen

I would just do it for 3 days as well, 24 th, 25 th, 26 th, then people isolate as much as possible for the following 8 days as a lot will be off school/ uni/work ( I know not all) until Jan 4 th .

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If it was just three days then I'd prefer 25/26/27 as these are all bank-holidays or weekends anyway

Why allow it on the 24th wen people need to be at work

(I understand some people have to work the other days too)

[aprilshack]

I think we have come so far and now we have a vaccine on the horizon. I'm not prepared to run the risk of it coming into the home I work in. We have been really diligent and touch wood, so far we haven't had it. I really don't want to balls things up for other people when the end is in sight for the sake of one day. Its going to be crappy but I'll get over it.

[marypoppins38]

We have resigned ourselves to just being us for Christmas anyhow as I wouldn't want to put our relatives at risk. We will most probably drive by on Christmas morning and speak/shout from the car while they stand on the doorstep. My daughter has a bank of 12 hour night shifts starting on the 28th anyhow so will be sleeping most of the days away. We are going to buy nice wine and good food and find a some box sets to binge on. Hoping for a bit of snow, it would be nice to take the dogs out to enjoy it.