Christmas relaxation could cause ‘tsunami’ of Covid-19 cases, nursing chief says

Increased numbers of people travelling to different areas over Christmas is a big risk. Credit: PA Wire/PA Images

Relaxing coronavirus restrictions over Christmas could lead to an “unrelenting tsunami” of cases, a nursing chief has warned, as swathes of southern and eastern England prepare to enter the top tier of Covid-19 restrictions.

More than two-thirds of the population will be living under Tier 3 measures from Saturday as the Government tries to stem rising infections which have led to fresh concerns about households mixing over the festive period.

Dame Donna Kinnair, chief executive and general secretary of the Royal College of Nursing, said ministers should give “fresh and more detailed” advice to the public with a week to go until Christmas.

“After a difficult year, it is everybody’s instinct to want to be together and see loved ones – especially those who live far apart or feel isolated. But what is at stake is coming into sharp focus,” she said.

“Travelling and family visits associated with this time of year will undoubtedly lead to more cases, more pressure on NHS and care services, and more deaths. By turning the second and third waves into an unrelenting tsunami, we would begin 2021 in the worst possible way.”

She said nurses would not enjoy Christmas “knowing what awaits them in January” and called on the government to be “clearer about the risks – not just the rules”, warning: “This virus isn’t taking Christmas off and nor should we.”

Up to three households are able to mix between December 23 and 27 in a Christmas bubble, while travel to and from Northern Ireland is also permitted between December 22 and 28.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has advised that if you are forming a Christmas bubble, you should reduce the number of people you meet outside your household for five days from now until December 23."Everyone must take personal responsibility to avoid passing the virus on to loved ones this Christmas," he said.

In a bid to control the spread of coronavirus, Health Secretary Matt Hancock announced on Thursday that Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Peterborough, Hertfordshire, Surrey (with the exception of Waverley), Hastings and Rother (on the Kent border of East Sussex), and Portsmouth, Gosport and Havant in Hampshire will all move into Tier 3.

Under the top level of restrictions, pubs and restaurants can only offer takeaway or delivery services and indoor entertainment venues are shut.

The changes mean a total of 38 million people will be living in Tier 3 from Saturday – 68% of the population of England.

A little good news came for Bristol and North Somerset, which will move from Tier 3 to Tier 2, while Herefordshire will go down into Tier 1, although the county’s public health director raised concerns about the relaxation of measures there.

Daily confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the UK Credit: PA Graphics

The announcements added to unease on the Tory benches about the Government’s response to the pandemic, with Steve Baker, deputy chair of the Covid Recovery Group of lockdown-sceptic Conservatives, calling for clarity on how areas move between tiers.

Elsewhere in the UK, ministers in Northern Ireland agreed to introduce a six-week lockdown from Boxing Day to curb rising cases – with the closure of non-essential retail and contact services, as well as restricting the hospitality sector to takeaway only.

Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford warned that “small acts of selfishness” on an individual level were adding up to the problems seen in Wales, as he predicted in an interview with the BBC that other parts of the UK may need to introduce stricter restrictions after Christmas.

And in Scotland, Deputy First Minister John Swinney said tougher coronavirus restrictions after the festive period – including a potential lockdown – is a “possibility” due to a “rising tide of Covid”.

What can you do in each tier? The rules in England at a glance:

  • Tier 1: Up to six people can meet indoors or outdoors. Pubs and restaurants can open, with last orders at 10pm and closing at 11pm.

  • Tier 2: No mixing indoors, apart from support bubbles. Up to six people can meet outdoors. Pubs and restaurants can open, with last orders at 10pm and closing at 11pm - but alcohol can only be served with a substantial meal.

  • Tier 3: No mixing indoors. People can only meet outdoors in limited places such as parks and public gardens. Pubs and restaurants must close, with the exception of takeaway sales.

In all tiers, non-essential shops, gyms, hairdressers and personal care services can open. People in all tiers to work from home where they can do so. Full details on what you can do in each tier here.

Covid-19 case rates are rising in all but one region of England, according to the latest weekly surveillance report from Public Health England.

The highest rate is in London, which stood at 319.3 cases per 100,000 people in the week to December 13, up from 199.9 in the previous week.

In eastern England the rate has risen from 152.9 to 249.1, while in south-east England the rate has increased from 167.6 to 238.7.

The only region that recorded a week-on-week fall was Yorkshire and the Humber, where the rate dropped slightly from 153.6 to 148.5.

Mr Hancock said: “I regret having to take the action that we have to take. I deem it necessary and there is a strong view right across Government that these actions are necessary.”