As Christmas approaches, faster than ever, everyone is wondering what they should do about the festive season knowing the risk of coronavirus still remains.
With Tier 4 announced yesterday, Christmas Bubbles were ruled out for millions. For those in Tiers 1, 2 and 3 a Christmas Bubble of up to three households is allowed just for Christmas Day, as opposed to original plans for 23-27 of December.
As we continue to try and protect ourselves, our families and the rest of the population from coronavirus, the idea of socialising so soon after the second wave is causing many rightful concern. People have questions.
According to Google Trends, everyone wants to understand the 'latest Christmas Covid rules' for their area, with 'Christmas Covid rules London' trending and 'Wales Christmas rules' hitting the top list of searches too. On the other side of the spectrum, some are also Googling 'Will pubs be open for Christmas?'.
What are the Christmas rules in the UK?
With so much confusion around the Covid Christmas rules now that new tier rules have been announced, it's worth reminding ourselves of what we actually can do at Christmas.
Can Tier 4 mix on Christmas Day? No, unfortunately - aside from childcare and support bubbles, Tier 4 people cannot mix households on Christmas Day.
For information on childcare bubbles and support bubbles in tier 4, go here.
For Tiers 1, 2 and 3, the Christmas Bubble is the same, but now only on Christmas Day.
This month, Boris Johnson announced the new covid Christmas rules stating that people across the UK could form exclusive ‘Christmas bubbles’ composed of no more than three households.
The Christmas covid plans mean that families can spend Christmas Day together without fear of fine or lockdown breaches. Of course, whether or not you should do that has been an entirely different conversation. Which is why in newer Christmas covid announcements, he seems to have backtracked slightly, encouraging people to have 'smaller' Christmases despite the relaxed rules.
Wherever you stand and whatever you plan to do over Christmas, the most important thing is obviously minimising risk to everyone else – particularly vulnerable people in your family. And with so much frantic Googling to do just that, we've decided to answer all your biggest questions with some help from Dr. Luke Kane who has the much-needed advice we can all benefit from on how to keep safe this Christmas.
Should I have vulnerable family over for Christmas?
'I think firstly there needs to be a full and frank discussion between the vulnerable person and their wider family to work out what everyone's acceptable level of risk is,' says Dr. Luke. 'For example, of course the safest thing to do over Christmas is to all sit on our own isolating - you can't get Covid then!
'However, we all know how important the Christmas season is and there are real tangible benefits to seeing our loved ones. Have a discussion and make a plan well before Christmas so that you know you are meeting the legal advice in your area, and that everyone is happy to go ahead with things.'
How long should I self isolate before Christmas?
On the NHS app, self-isolation rules pertain only to people who have tested positive or been in close contact with someone who has. If you've tested positive, they state you need to self-isolate for 10 days from when your symptoms started - or if you don't have symptoms, 10 days from when you had the test. If someone you live with tests positive, self-isolate 10 days from when their symptoms started or likewise if they don't have symptoms, 10 days from their test date. If someone you've been in contact with tests positive, self-isolate for 10 days from your last contact with that person.
You can find out more information about self-isolation here.
Now, for those of you that are considering self-isolating not because of a positive test or being in close contact with someone who has - just purely to be safe for Christmas - you can see the general rule of isolating is to do it for at least 10 days. Of course, if you're travelling home via public transport after you've isolated, you'll still be at risk of catching coronavirus on that journey.
For Dr. Luke, the safest thing to do before heading home for Christmas is to cut down contact with others for at least two weeks.
'Before travelling back home for Christmas it would be prudent to cut the number of contacts you have with others for at least two weeks before hand,' he explains. 'The fewer people you have close contact with the lower your risk of catching Covid.'
Should I take my kids out of school early for Christmas?
For families that have younger children, taking children out of nursey or school earlier to give them the chance to isolate before seeing vulnerable people would be fantastic in reducing the risk of Covid but we also have to think about the damage that missing out on schooling has on children. Keep your kids in school!
What's the safest way to travel home for Christmas?
Think hard about how you'll travel home. Of course, it is safer to drive together with those in your household but this may not be possible for everyone. Try to travel off peak if you're going on a train or bus (and hands, face, space!)
Should I get a Covid test before Christmas?
If you can access one, for example if you’re a university student, then get one of the Covid tests being offered prior to your return home. But please, don't overwhelm the testing system to get tests "just in case", only get them if you have symptoms or have been in contact with someone who has coronavirus.
How do I keep relatives safe when mixing households over Christmas?
'Remember hands, face, space,' Dr. Luke states. 'When your spending time with family this Christmas always remember the best thing you can do is to follow the government guidance: keep washing those hands, keep a good distance between yourself and others and wear a mask!'
How do I make Christmas dinner more covid safe?
'When you're at home - it is best to still follow social distancing. Of course, I don’t mean sitting through your Christmas meal with a mask on - but think about where people sit. For example, don’t sit your granny on the chemo in the middle of the table squashed in between the naughty cousins - think about spacing people out.'
'Don’t share utensils and plates!' Dr. Luke continues. 'Think carefully about close contact and keep washing those hands. It is best to minimise potential contamination through sharing serving utensils and plates. Just be really conscious of the fact that you don’t want to spread any virus around.'
Will keeping windows open help prevent coronavirus spreading in the house?
'I certainly think that getting good ventilation going would lower your risks of Covid,' says Dr. Luke. 'That doesn’t mean sitting down for dinner with all the windows and doors open with a gale blazing through the house (with Grandad catching a cold because he's freezing!) but it does mean letting some windows open to refresh the air and keep things circulating.'
Read More:
Wanting To See Your Family This Christmas Doesn’t Make You ‘Stupid’ Or ‘Childish’
The Best Coronavirus-Themed Merch To Get You Through Christmas At Ho-Ho-Home This Year