A lab technician sorts blood samples inside a lab for a Covid-19 vaccine study
(Picture: AFP via Getty Images)The Government will announce its plans for the festive period next week before England’s lockdown ends, Number 10 has confirmed.
A Downing Street spokesman said that Christmas gathering rules and “details of the next phase” of restrictions will be unveiled before the end of the month and ahead of the December 2 deadline.
Households could be allowed to mix indoors, starting on Christmas Eve, but scientists warned that potential freedom during the festive period might require tougher measures in January to make up for it.
But a Sage expert has argued that Britons are too focussed on having a “near-normal Christmas” and should be more concerned about their loved-ones’ health.
In other developments, Oxford’s Covid-19 vaccine has shown an “encouraging” immune response in older adults, raising hopes it can protect age groups most at risk and deliver “that magic heard immunity” to the UK.
