Covid news: Boris Johnson urges UK to keep Christmas celebrations small as death toll passes 65,000
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Your support makes all the difference.Boris Johnson has urged Britons to “have yourself a merry little Christmas" but keep celebrations small and brief, adding: “I’m afraid this year I do mean little.”
The prime minister told MPs that the four UK nations have agreed to continue "in principle" with the easing of coronavirus restrictions over Christmas, allowing up to three households to mix for five days.
However, the Welsh and Scottish leaders appeared to have undermined the prime minister’s claim of an agreement, with Mark Drakeford saying only two households should come together in Wales and Nicola Sturgeon saying Scots should only meet for one day.
And opposition leader Keir Starmer accused Mr Johnson of ignoring medical advice over the Christmas plan.
The PM said he did not want to “criminalise people’s long-made plans” for the festive season, but urged people to “exercise a high degree of personal responsibility”.
The World Health Organisation has warned Europeans to have a quiet Christmas or risk a renewed surge of the disease.
Earlier, the communities secretary admitted the Covid-19 infection rate would rise as people mix together over Christmas.
"This is a virus that thrives on social interaction, so bringing more people together, even over this short period of time, is not cost-free. It will have consequences in terms of increasing the rate. It will rise," Robert Jenrick said.
Meanwhile, it was announced that nearly 138,000 people in the UK received a first dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine over the last week.
Follow the latest updates
Welsh leader’s plan differs from PM’s
The Welsh first minister has appeared to undermine the prime minister’s claim of an agreement between the four nations over Christmas plans, saying: “Here in Wales, the position is that only two households should come together to form an exclusive Christmas bubble during the five-day period.”
Under Mr Johnson’s plan, three households may mix, and he told MPs all four nations had agreed it.
But Mark Drakeford told a Welsh government briefing: "Here in Wales, the position is that only two households should come together to form an exclusive Christmas bubble during the five-day period.
"The fewer people we mix with in our homes, the less chance we have of catching or spreading the virus.
"None of us wants to be ill this Christmas. And we don't want to give coronavirus to our close family or friends.
"The Chief Medical Officer for Wales has provided special advice for people who were previously shielding about mixing over Christmas."
Wales to go back into lockdown after Christmas
All non-essential shops will be forced to close in Wales after Christmas Eve while tighter lockdown restrictions for household mixing and staying-at-home guidance will be introduced from 28 December, reports Ashley Cowburn:
Wales to go back into lockdown after Christmas
All non-essential shops will be forced to close from Christmas Eve
Relaxed Christmas rules ‘due to go ahead as planned’
A relaxation of strict coronavirus rules over Christmas is expected to go ahead as planned after the second meeting in as many days between the four parts of the UK. But ministers are expected to publish stronger guidance on how to prevent the spread of coronavirus over the festive period. Kate Devlin reports:
Relaxed Christmas Covid rules to go ahead as planned across UK
But Wales now advising only two households meet - as it announces another lockdown on December 28
Scots urged to stay in own homes at Christmas
Scots should stay in their own homes at Christmas, Nicola Sturgeon has urged.
If people feel it is "essential" to meet with others indoors, she said this should be for one day only and not overnight.
The first minister told the Scottish government's coronavirus briefing: "That in my view wouldn't be fair at this stage and wouldn't be realistic either and may risk undermining, rather than strengthening, compliance with the overall Covid guidance."
But she said the Scottish government would strengthen its guidance to people on "whether and how they make use of the flexibility".
She said: "Firstly and unequivocally the safest way to spend Christmas this year for you and for those you love is to stay within your own household and your own home.
"My strong recommendation is this is what you should do if at all possible."
Government plans to recoup £26bn of losses on Covid loans ‘woefully underdeveloped’, says committee
Plans to recoup an estimated £26bn of fraud and defaults on coronavirus loans to businesses are “woefully underdeveloped”, an influential committee of MPs has said, Ben Chapman reports.
Losses on the government-backed loans could be higher than £26bn because the government has not properly assessed the extent of potential fraud on the schemes, according to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC).
Government plans to recoup £26bn of losses on Covid loans ‘woefully underdeveloped
Ministers do not have data to determine losses due to fraud and defaults, says Public Accounts Committee
Boris Johnson will hold a Downing Street press conference this afternoon alongside England's chief medical officer professor Chris Whitty, No 10 has said.
Rollout of Pfizer vaccine ‘a marathon not a sprint,’ No 10 says
Boris Johnson’s official spokesman said the rollout of the Pfizer vaccine was "a marathon not a sprint".
"We saw the rollout in hospitals first, now more and more GPs are coming on line to be able to provide the vaccines," the prime minister’s spokesman said.
"We have been clear that we will roll out to care homes as well before Christmas."
Air passengers unable to travel due to government restrictions may get refunds
Passengers prevented from taking flights because of government travel restrictions may be in line for cash refunds, travel correspondent Simon Calder reports.
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has launched an investigation into whether airlines have breached consumers’ legal rights by failing to offer cash refunds for flights they could not lawfully access.
Air passengers unable to travel due to government restrictions may get refunds
Airlines argue the traveller had agreed to the terms and conditions
Nearly 370 die in hospital in England after testing positive for virus
A further 369 people who tested positive for coronavirus have died in hospital in England, bringing the total number of confirmed deaths reported in hospitals to 45,126, NHS England said on Wednesday.
Patients were aged between 40 and 100. All except 13, aged between 61 and 93, had known underlying health conditions.
The deaths were between 4 August and 15 December.
Fifteen other deaths were reported with no positive Covid-19 test result.
Greater Manchester mayor says he has not had any communication from government ahead of tier review
Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham has said he has not had any communication with the government ahead of a review of tiering decisions.
Speaking at an online press conference, he said: "I haven't had conversations with the government this week.
"Our boroughs have given indications to the government, so those have gone in.
"There is no indication yet coming out of the government."
He said it was possible different boroughs of Greater Manchester could see different levels of restrictions.
He said: "If the government does not want to put Greater Manchester as a whole in tier 2, particularly given the fact a couple of our boroughs are above the national average or close to it, we do still believe there is a very strong case for a substantial part of the city region to be placed in tier 2.
"We would ask the government to give regard to the fact we have been under restrictions for four-and-a-half months, that would mean five months by the next review period."
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