Government confirms Christmas bubbles will remain - council urges residents to plan carefully

Wiltshire Council is urging residents to think over their Christmas plans carefully, following the Government's confirmation that the Christmas bubble regulations will remain.

The Government has said that three households can still mix from 23 to 27 December regardless of tier, but it wants people to:

• think carefully about who is part of their bubble
• limit the amount of people they see in the lead up to, and during. the Christmas period
• be very mindful of seeing anyone particularly vulnerable
• try and limit travel from an area with a high prevalence of COVID-19 to an area of low prevalence
• avoid overnight stays where possible
• avoid crowds
• not gather in groups over the New Year

Kate Blackburn, Director of Public Health for Wiltshire, said:

"Everyone has a personal responsibility to carefully consider what their Christmas plans are and weigh up the risks of their options. This virus likes people, so the more people that are together in one place will inevitably increase the risk of it spreading, so our advice is to try and limit who we see if possible. As the Government has said, the number of households we can bubble with and the five-day period are limits, and not targets to reach.

"We know the circumstances aren't easy and we of course want people to still have a happy Christmas, particularly after such a difficult year, however we really need everyone to play their part to stop a surge of new cases early in the new year and the potential harm this could cause families."