LONDON, (Reuters) – The British government resisted pressure to impose even tighter restrictions on Christmas family get-togethers today as pubs and restaurants in London and elsewhere shut their doors amid worsening coronavirus figures.
One cabinet minister suggested it was up to people to make up their own minds about what precautions to take, and said some may want to wait for Easter to gather with their family given the risk to the elderly and the vulnerable
But with eating and drinking establishments told to close in a bid to prevent the coronavirus spreading further, young revellers packed nightlife areas of the capital on Tuesday night to party up to the deadline.
After imposing the most onerous restrictions in peacetime history, Boris Johnson is keen to avoid becoming the prime minister who cancelled Christmas, even though the United Kingdom has the sixth worst official COVID-19 death toll in the world.
It plans to relax restrictions for five days around Christmas, but two influential medical journals and a number of health experts have appealed for the policy to be scrapped.
Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick said on Wednesday it was for people to make up their own minds.
“It’s not for government to tell people exactly how to handle this situation,” he told the BBC.
Speaking separately to Sky, he said: “How much do they want to bring members of their broader family together at Christmas or whether they think on this occasion let’s just keep it small and we can meet up in the Spring – Easter can be the new Christmas for some people.”
