Dr Hilary claims it's too early for a Christmas lockdown decision

19 November 2020, 11:28 | Updated: 19 November 2020, 11:31

Dr Hilary warns seeing family at Christmas will be 'recipe for disaster'

By Polly Foreman

Christmas lockdown rules: Dr Hilary spoke about the potential Christmas lockdown plan on GMB today.

Dr Hilary has said it's 'too early' to be making Christmas lockdown plans in response the news that the government is proposing a relaxation of rules over the festive period

Speaking on GMB today, the doctor urged the public to consider whether relaxing restrictions for Christmas would be 'worth it', following reports that the government are considering allowing households to mix temporarily for five days from Christmas Eve.

He said: "Every day they've calculated means five extra days in lockdown, and so five days of Christmas festivities means another lockdown of 25 days.

"With the damage that does to the economy and people's mental health, it all has to be balanced.

"They talk about balance of risk all the time, and that's exactly what it is. Other religious groups have had to forgo their religious festivities, they've made that sacrifice, and one has to question whether five days at Christmas, to have those parties, to have that roast turkey, really warrants another month of lockdown and shutting down the country.

"That's a question only the government can make."

After host Ben Shepherd suggested that the decision should be made once December figures reveal the impact of the current lockdown, Dr Hilary agreed, saying: "I totally agree.

"I think it's too early to make any decision about Christmas now, as we need to see where we are in two or three weeks time.

"If cases are going up, and hospitalisations and death rates are going up, I think it would be very foolish to think about five days of partying at Christmas.

"Unfortunately, I don't want to be a killjoy or a fun sponge, but if that can be the case we have to think very carefully, otherwise we will end up back to square one."

It was reported this week that the government are considering allowing households to mix indoors for the five days from Christmas Eve in the whole of the UK, but Downing Street are yet to make a final decision on this.

A spokesperson told The Sun: "We are looking at ways to ensure that people can spend time with close family over Christmas at the end of what has been an incredibly difficult year.”

A later report suggested that the public would 'pay' for these five days with a month-long lockdown in January, with government advisory body SAGE saying we'd need five days of tighter measures for every day we ease lockdown.

NOW READ:

Matt Hancock says he can't rule out possibility that coronavirus vaccine could be made compulsory