For many people, Christmas is a joyful time where they are able to take a break from their jobs and schools, and gather to celebrate with their families. The question that many people are left wondering is- how will the lockdown restrictions affect the way people celebrate?
On 23rd November, The Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that families are permitted to ‘bubble’ with two other households for five days, as a way for families to not miss out on the annual Christmas events. Restrictions on church services are due to be lifted, allowing the Christmas day services to carry on as usual. Many people will be pleased with this outcome, as this is a significant part of Christmas for them and their families.
However, although Boris Johnson has lifted most of the restrictions to enable families to celebrate, he admits that “Christmas will not be normal this year”. A big part of this celebration for a lot of people, is the shopping, the markets and the festivals that take place during this period. Due to the lockdown restrictions, pubs, restaurants and even places like Winter Wonderland will be closed as an attempt to prevent the spread of the virus.
In addition, families are advised to avoid close or physical contact. However, this may prove to be difficult for many people, especially young children. There are arguably many issues that may occur due to the lack of social distancing. For example, many people may be concerned about children carrying the virus from school, and spreading it to their close family members during the Christmas holidays, which will be a huge problem especially for the parents later on, when they have to return to work.
