By Christmas saved!
Coronavirus restrictions will be relaxed for five days over Christmas to allow up to three households to mix, Government sources have said.
Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove has today chaired a meeting with the first ministers of the devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland when an agreement was reached.
The exact details of the deal are yet to be made fully public, however according to a Sky News source, under the plans discussed at the meeting:
- Three households can form an exclusive “bubble”
- Travel restrictions will be lifted between 23 to 27 December
There is also expected to be a relaxation of restrictions on overnight stays.
The Press Association reported the plan had been signed off at this afternoon’s meeting of the government’s emergency COBRA committee.
Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has earlier stressed any changes would be “temporary” and “limited”.
She added: “I know everyone has a desire to see loved ones over the festive period.
“However, there is also a very real and a very legitimate anxiety that doing so could put those we love at risk, set back our progress as a country and result in unnecessary deaths and suffering.”
Meanwhile, the government has recorded another 608 deaths of people in the UK who have died within 28 days of a positive Covid test. There were also a further 11,299 cases of people testing positive for coronavirus.
