People wearing face masks pass Christmas lights outside shops on Oxford Street
(Picture: PA)Families from across the UK will reunite this Christmas under new festive coronavirus rules.
Three households will be allowed to mix between December 23 and 27, after ministers from the four UK nations finalised a “common framework” for all Britons at a Cobra emergency meeting this afternoon.
Michael Gove, who led the meeting, said the plans would offer “hope for families and friends” after a “difficult” year of Covid restrictions.
Meanwhile, London is waiting to find out which tier the city will be put into after lockdown. The Government is expected to face a furious backlash from MPs and business chiefs if the capital is hit with draconian Tier 3 restrictions next Wednesday.
In other developments, a new testing plan which will allow travellers to come out of quarantine if they secure a negative test after five days has been described as a “start” but not a solution, and the UK’s coronavirus death toll has jumped by 608 overnight, marking the biggest rise since early May.
