the governments of all four uk nations
agree that
family and friends will be allowed to
meet for a small number of days
over christmas but there's a warning
that this will not be a normal festive
period and that the risks of
transmission of covert 19 remain
very real although details are still
sketchy the bbc has been told that
households may be allowed to get
together for five days
tomorrow boris johnson is expected to
say more about a tougher system of
tiered restrictions for england when it
emerges from lockdown on december the
second
it's thought gyms across all three tiers
are likely to be reopened here's our
deputy political editor
vicky young
christmas cheer but not too much the
prime minister has warned us that the
festive season won't
be normal but across the four nations of
the uk they've been trying to come up
with a joint set of rules
allowing families and friends to meet up
it's not quite
finalized but in a statement the cabinet
office said there was a
shared objective to allow some limited
additional household bubbling
for a small number of days but the
public will be advised to remain
cautious and wherever possible people
should avoid travelling
and minimize social contact but it's not
just
christmas that ministers in england have
to think about before that on december
the second
national restrictions will end but with
coronavirus still spreading
many measures will have to stay in place
we will be going back into
a more localized approach a tiered
system which i think is enormously
welcome
system yes i mean and what i think that
what people should realize is we learn
more as we go through
this crisis and we as we get more data
more information
we can see what works well what doesn't
and and
essentially evolve our response to make
sure it's as effective as it can be
after complaints from many scientists
the new tears will be tougher than
before
and more areas will be in the higher
levels to keep the virus under control
but 70 of boris johnson's own mps have
written to tell him they won't vote for
the system
unless they see evidence that it will
save more lives
than it costs labour want clarity as
soon as possible
you can't just open a restaurant open a
bar
start brewing beer uh getting ready for
for after a national lockdown
overnight you know you need some notice
of that
and all of us from andy burnham uh
everybody else members of the public we
need a clearer understanding about what
the criteria
are going to be across the uk the rules
on households mixing will be relaxed for
christmas
shoppers in london are giving that a
cautious welcome
i feel ecstatic because i miss my
friends i miss my family
so any opportunity will be so welcome
hope it doesn't know that it's christmas
so even if we couldn't
i would be okay with not celebrating it
if it meant saving more people's lives
i think it'll be important to see kind
of what the levels are like before
christmas but the idea of being able to
celebrate the family is obviously really
nice
but the risks from kovid haven't gone
away celebrations at christmas
could be followed by many more weeks of
hardship
and vic is here with me vicki there's a
lot going on this week just talk us
through what we can expect
yeah well let's start with tomorrow the
prime minister will go to the house of
commons to announce the details of the
new
tier system for england to come into
effect once that lockdown ends on
december
the second now we do know that all three
tiers will be toughened up that's after
complaints from lots of scientists
saying
actually they weren't having much of an
effect so that is likely to be bad news
i think for pubs in that top
tier three but gyms and non-essential
retail so most shops will be expected to
be allowed to reopen in
all areas ministers very conscious
they've gone to great lengths to make
them kobe secure
the 10 o'clock curfew for pubs and
restaurants that will be abandoned
last orders will be at 10 but customers
will have extra time
an extra hour to drink up then on
tuesday at the earliest
those arrangements for christmas which
so many people very very
keen to hear about the prime minister
hope to do that tomorrow that has been
delayed while
scotland and wales actually sign off on
this but i'm told the most likely option
is
three households being allowed to mix
for up to five days over the christmas
period but just to be clear that has not
been confirmed
and there's also an announcement
expected on possibility of shorter time
for quarantine for travellers
that also could come on tuesday and then
if you're in england you have to wait
till thursday to find out
which tier your area will be in and
labour very clear they want to know
what this is being decided on what are
the criteria for why this is being
decided
prime minister 2 getting a lot of stick
from some of his back benches who are
unhappy
at these restrictions and have actually
said they will vote against it
vicky many thanks vicky young there
so what's the likely impact of a return
to the tiered system in england when
lockdown ends in ten days time
and which areas of the country are
likely to see the highest levels of
restrictions
health correspondent dominic hughes
reports now from west yorkshire
[Music]
it's been a busy sunday in hebdon bridge
in west yorkshire
those who could were making the most of
the chance to get out and about
but even as the christmas decorations
are given a final touch
for some businesses the days to come are
filled with uncertainty
this place is my baby i'm worried that
we're not gonna
make it through lockdown we can't plan
anything we can't
you know think ahead about all right
maybe in two weeks time
lockdown could be lifted but there's
also the chance that it might not be
before this latest lockdown the local
council calderdale was poised to enter
tier three
the covid infection rates have remained
stubbornly high
so what's the right thing to do over
christmas i mean look around you know
this is a market that
in a time of lockdown people are
desperate for connection people want to
be out
meeting each other and we have to find a
balance i guess between
coveted restrictions and the well-being
and mental health of our
of our nations it's very easy to focus
on christmas is the big family thing and
it is
but one christmas might not have as big
a deal
for less christmases in the future for
some members of our families
this map shows the areas with the
highest rates of covid19 infections
in england parts of the north west and
north east east and west yorkshire
north lincolnshire and the east midlands
could well find themselves back
in tier three meanwhile parts of west
and central scotland are already in the
country's highest level of restrictions
until december the 11th
and northern ireland is facing another
two weeks of lockdown from friday
having just reopened some services it's
the pressure that hospitals like this
one
are under that is the real source of
concern they are busier now i'm told
than they were
back in the spring during the first
surge of covid
and there are concerns too over what the
advice will be for people
over christmas i would like to see the
right decisions being made
based on the signs i think it's more
likely that we'll be able to get
together at christmas
if people stick rigidly to what's
recommended
at this stage i worry that with people
breaching
the recommendations that we're going to
be in this for the long haul
the uk's four nations have agreed a more
harmonized approach to allow some
household mixing for a few days over
christmas
the details are still to be worked out
but the worry is that many families are
determined to get together to celebrate
whatever the restrictions might be
dominick hughes bbc news hebdenbridge