Boris Johnson turns the screws on Christmas

Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, has delivered bad news for people hoping to celebrate Christmas later this month by calling on them to keep festivities “short” and “small”.

While Covid-19 related restrictions are still set to be relaxed the PM urged people to “think hard” before meeting friends and family.

“When we say three households can meet on five days, I want to stress, these are maximums, not targets to aim for, and it’s always going to be safest to minimize the number of people you meet”, Johnson announced during a press conference in Downing Street.

"If that means you're visiting others, we're asking you, for the five days beforehand, as early as Friday [December 18], to reduce the number of people you're in contact with to the lowest possible", the PM added.

Johnson’s message was reiterated by England’s chief medical officer, Professor Chris Whitty, who advised people to keep Christmas celebrations “small, short and local” to reduce the risk of coronavirus infections.

Addressing the same press conference as the PM, Whitty added: “Just because you can do something doesn’t mean it’s sensible in any way”.

"Any kind of period where people come together in groups that otherwise wouldn't meet leads to an increase in risks and that will lead to an increase in hospitalizations and deaths", Whitty warned.

Meanwhile, the shadow health secretary, Jonathan Ashworth, said the Labor Party would support “tougher restrictions” over Christmas.

In an interview with the BBC, Ashworth said: “We would have liked to have seen a toughening up today from the prime minister – perhaps something like what we’ve seen in Wales, reducing households”.

"I think he's [Boris Johnson] going to have to go further in the coming days", Ashworth added.

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