It's not a target: UK rows back on Christmas easing advice

LONDON (AP) — No need to take it to the max.

That's the new Christmas message that leaders of the U.K.'s four nations were spreading Wednesday, after toughening up their advice over what people should do during the holiday period.

Last month, England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland agreed to permit a maximum of three households to mix between Dec. 23 and Dec. 27, regardless of what local restrictions are in place.

But following a sharp spike in new infections that's stoked fears about another resurgence of the pandemic, families are being urged to consider the rules as the outer limits of what they can do.

“Have yourselves a merry little Christmas and, I’m afraid, this year I do mean little,” British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said at a press briefing. “I want to stress these are maximums, not targets.”

His comments echoed those of other leaders elsewhere, though Wales has actually put a number to it, with First Minister Mark Drakeford saying two households should meet.

Johnson said it would be “inhuman” to ban Christmas but that in light of the “worrying” rises in new infections in some parts of the country, people should think hard about what to do. He said anyone planning to meet others during the easing should start limiting contacts from this Friday, for example.

Professor Chris Whitty, the government's chief medical officer, said the advice was akin to driving at the speed limit in icy conditions.

“Just because you can doesn’t mean you should," he said.

Concerns over the planned easing have ratcheted higher in recent days. With new infections rising in many places, many fear that the relaxation will only escalate infections and deaths and put too much pressure on the already-stressed National Health Service.

The confusion surrounding the scheduled easing has been exacerbated by the fact that many parts of the country have seen restrictions tightened this week. On Wednesday, London and nearby areas entered the highest level of local restrictions in England — Tier 3 — in which pubs and restaurants had to close again apart from takeout, and more curbs were placed on different households meeting up.

Other areas in England, including the cities of Manchester and Birmingham, are set to find out on Thursday whether they will be moved down to Tier 2 restrictions, Johnson said.

Johnson also said the elderly and the most vulnerable should be vaccinated by the early part of 2021. The U.K. is rolling out the vaccine developed by America’s Pfizer and the German company BioNTech after becoming on Dec. 8 the first country in the world to authorize it.

Other vaccines, from American biotechnology firm Moderna and one developed by the University of Oxford and British pharmaceutical firm AstraZeneca, are currently being assessed by British regulators.

Britain’s new vaccines minister, Nadhim Zahawi, said Wednesday that 137,897 people had received a shot since inoculations began. They must all return in three weeks for a follow-up shot.

The government, which is providing the vaccine free of charge mainly at hospitals so far, is first targeting nursing home workers and people over 80. Nursing home residents are now being vaccinated as well after issues relating to the transportation of the vaccine, which needs to be kept at super-cold temperatures, were addressed.

Despite the update, questions remain over how many people can be inoculated on any given day, and what proportion of people being offered the vaccine are agreeing to get a shot.

To date, 800,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine are known to be in the U.K. and 5 million more are expected to arrive this year, half of the original expectation.

“With the vaccine, and all the other measures we are taking, we do know that things will be better in this country by Easter,” Johnson said. “And, I’m sure that next year Christmas will be as normal as usual for every family in the country.”

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