When will this shit end?

[FestivalJamie]

I think we will follow the 3 household bubble rule for Christmas Day but certainly not for a whole 5 days, and I think we will try to host outside rather than inside even though it’s going to be freezing.

Needs must, but I’m personally more worried about going into tiers again on the 2nd December followed by 5 days of easing over Christmas. The numbers aren’t going to be pretty in January are they.

[sime]

1 hour ago, squirrelarmy said:

Christmas super spreader events. Huge spikes in January coming up. 

This is my worry. It's not even a worry it's more an eventuality. I get the sentiment of the idea but it's just not a very smart thing to do. (No surprise there though considering who is running the country...). 

[stuartbert two hats]

For those of you who have set up your own households, don't you do the "turns" thing at Christmas anyway? I've never seen my brother, parents and in-laws in the same Christmas.

The way we're playing it is to just act as if it's someone else's turn this year, when if fact it's nobodies.

Although that is slightly disingenuous - it's my mother in-law's turn because she lives around the corner and is in our support bubble anyway.

But still, I thought it was normal to not see all of your combined family every Christmas?

[Fuzzy Afro]

2 minutes ago, stuartbert two hats said:

For those of you who have set up your own households, don't you do the "turns" thing at Christmas anyway? I've never seen my brother, parents and in-laws in the same Christmas.

The way we're playing it is to just act as if it's someone else's turn this year, when if fact it's nobodies.

Although that is slightly disingenuous - it's my mother in-law's turn because she lives around the corner and is in our support bubble anyway.

But still, I thought it was normal to not see all of your combined family every Christmas?

Depends whether the parents host or the grown up children. When I was growing up, we’d have both sets of grandparents round. But that’s largely because both my parents are only children. 

[zahidf]

1 hour ago, steviewevie said:

Christmas is saved from the dickhead at the sun.

 

 

[Leyrulion]

If true this 4 household thing seems to be what a lot of people would have done anyway?

I don't know I'm not from a huge family but four households would have been fine.

To me the logical thing would be to have the largest family household sit it out as they already have kids etc.

Anyway I can't be with family for Christmas because of quarantine periods of where they live and the family I've got in the u.k one person in the household is undergoing chemo, so that's a no go until it finishes at Easter.

 

[jannybruck]

This has been reiterated before, but can we remember to try and post sources (even if it's social media) if you're saying stuff "apparently" and "allegedly" etc? It's much more helpful.

[Ozanne]

13 minutes ago, Billy Corgan's Ego said:

Of all the decisions the government have made during his time, this may be the one that makes me the most angry. People are going to needlessly die because of this, with most due to being passed the virus from the people who love them the most. 

This is an abomination of a decision. At best the complaint among us will meet many people indoors for hours on end, at worst the non-compliant will use this as an excuse to have an all out bender. We are a joke, we really are

Yep it shows absolutely no leadership at all.

[incident]

8 minutes ago, stuartbert two hats said:

For those of you who have set up your own households, don't you do the "turns" thing at Christmas anyway? I've never seen my brother, parents and in-laws in the same Christmas.

The way we're playing it is to just act as if it's someone else's turn this year, when if fact it's nobodies.

Although that is slightly disingenuous - it's my mother in-law's turn because she lives around the corner and is in our support bubble anyway.

But still, I thought it was normal to not see all of your combined family every Christmas?

I think if you're talking purely about Christmas Day that's broadly true - but that many people will still get around to visiting the others over the course of the week or so.

In a typical year my parents would expect to welcome a steady stream of visitors (both family and long time friends), and also head out to see a few more.

[st dan]

4 households seems unnecessarily relaxed. 2 (max 3) would have been an acceptable compromise for many I feel. Whether that drastically impacts the spread in the days/weeks to follow I don’t know, but I’m hoping the science does.  

[Crazyfool01]

1 minute ago, st dan said:

4 households seems unnecessarily relaxed. 2 (max 3) would have been an acceptable compromise for many I feel. Whether that drastically impacts the spread in the days/weeks to follow I don’t know, but I’m hoping the science does.  

theres no science in that .... Its BoJo trying to be popular ...more contacts equals more potential for spread ..... 2 would have appeased both the sceptics and the concerned I would have thought ....

[Billy Corgan's Ego]

4 minutes ago, crazyfool1 said:

theres no science in that .... Its BoJo trying to be popular ...more contacts equals more potential for spread ..... 2 would have appeased both the sceptics and the concerned I would have thought ....

Correct. If there was science to this I would be allowed to be indoors with my friends. I'm not, as it contradicts the science. 

This is political. Nothing else. Even Americans, America FFS, are being told to not gather at Thanksgiving. 

[zero000]

In an ideal world we would all be having Christmas just with our household / extended household but there is no way the majority of us in this thread are in anyway representative of the U.K as a whole. 

It’s a balancing act in an imperfect world. It stops all and sundry visiting each other, but allows families to gather in a limited way. It’s inevitable that the infection rate was going to go up over Christmas, but this goes some way to exert some kind of control over it at least. 

Edited November 22, 2020 by zero000

[zahidf]

3 minutes ago, Billy Corgan's Ego said:

Correct. If there was science to this I would be allowed to be indoors with my friends. I'm not, as it contradicts the science. 

This is political. Nothing else. Even Americans, America FFS, are being told to not gather at Thanksgiving. 

Its simply the realisation that people will meet up over Xmas and there isn't any point in having restrictions in place which are unenforceable.

 

Even sturgeon agrees with this it seems

[lemons]

Ch4 news there something along the lines of:

"4 families to form a bubble giving a new meaning to what did you get for christmas." Ooooofff.

[incident]

1 minute ago, Billy Corgan's Ego said:

Even Americans, America FFS, are being told to not gather at Thanksgiving. 

Although to be fair, the person telling them that is being undermined at every juncture by the person in charge - much as is happening here.

[Fuzzy Afro]

It’s a hell of a lot better to have a 4 household bubble than to just have everyone doing what they like 

[Billy Corgan's Ego]

1 minute ago, zahidf said:

Its simply the realisation that people will meet up over Xmas and there isn't any point in having restrictions in place which are unenforceable.

 

Even sturgeon agrees with this it seems

That's not true. If they banned  Christmas many would meet for Christmas. However, there is a huge section of society who would abide by the rules, which means there would be millions fewer social contact over the piece. 

As I said above, this also gives the non compliant amongst us to do what we please for 5 days as we are being encouraged to meet and socialise. Those rules breaker will now meet as many people as they like, whereas if there was a ban maybe they would only see a few. 

[Billy Corgan's Ego]

3 minutes ago, Billy Corgan's Ego said:

That's not true. If they banned  Christmas many would still meet. However, there is a huge section of society who would abide by the rules, which means there would be millions fewer social contact over the piece. 

As I said above, this also gives the non compliant amongst us open opportunity to do what we please for 5 days as we are being encouraged to meet and socialise. Those rules breaker will now meet as many people as they like, whereas if there was a ban maybe they would only see a few. 

 

[Simsy]

53 minutes ago, stuartbert two hats said:

For those of you who have set up your own households, don't you do the "turns" thing at Christmas anyway? I've never seen my brother, parents and in-laws in the same Christmas.

The way we're playing it is to just act as if it's someone else's turn this year, when if fact it's nobodies.

Although that is slightly disingenuous - it's my mother in-law's turn because she lives around the corner and is in our support bubble anyway.

But still, I thought it was normal to not see all of your combined family every Christmas?

My family and my in-laws mostly live locally, so we'd normally see both lots over xmas but alternate who we see on the 25th.

My mum lives alone, so could bubble with us, but it's looking like I'll have to write off seeing my sisters (1 moved abroad in Jan, the other lives in a house-share so they won't all be able to see their partners/parents/siblings). I'm not really an Xmas fan so it doesn't bother me to not see them on 1 specific day, but I try to make an effort because I know other people care (particularly my in-laws).

[zahidf]

5 minutes ago, Billy Corgan's Ego said:

That's not true. If they banned  Christmas many would meet for Christmas. However, there is a huge section of society who would abide by the rules, which means there would be millions fewer social contact over the piece. 

As I said above, this also gives the non compliant amongst us to do what we please for 5 days as we are being encouraged to meet and socialise. Those rules breaker will now meet as many people as they like, whereas if there was a ban maybe they would only see a few. 

Police support it.

 

"It comes after fears Brits would simply ignore the rules - with Met chief Dame Cressida Dick saying cops have "other things to do" than barge in on Christmas lunches."

[lemons]

I think those that can be disciplined and keep their contacts limited should. If you wouldn't have had similar gatherings at other high rate times you shouldn't be having them for Christmas. You can't borrow past compliance as a pass now. However can fully understand the bereaved , lonely , vulnerable needing something to look forward to and christmas offering a convenient opportunity to support them.  If the idea of covid spreading by being indoors at close proximity for long periods is gonna be ignored and christmas mixing restrictions are unenforceable anyway, a smaller 2 household (or bubbles) could send out a stronger message to take it more seriously ? 

[Ryan1984]

The BBC website is saying three households rather than four.

What a waste of everyone’s effort.

[squirrelarmy]

1 minute ago, Ryan1984 said:

The BBC website is saying three households rather than four.

What a waste of everyone’s effort.

That gets me out of the festivities then 🥳

[st dan]

Allowing pubs to the open over the Christmas period is the biggest mistake in all of this. That coupled with the mixing of 3/4 households at the same time and we could be looking at something very nasty to follow in the new year.