Nicola Sturgeon turned Ebeneezer Scrooge today as she told Scots to limit ‘Christmas Bubbles’ to just eight people – and warned against hugs for granny.
The Scottish Government issued its guidance today for the festive season, days after a ‘four nation’ approach for the UK was put into place.
It was expected to allow people in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to follow the same rules, and cross borders to be with loved ones.
But the Scots today said it would ‘recommend’ only eight adults and teenagers in an bubble formed of three households – although there is no limit on children under 12.
And it also suggested that the two-metre social distancing rule be maintained as much as possible, urging Scots not to embrace loved ones they may not have seen for weeks and months.
The rules are in contrast with those in England, where under the three-household plan there are no limits on numbers.
In guidance published online this morning, the Scottish Government said: ‘Between 23 – 27 December, you can form a bubble of up to three households, one of which can be an extended household.
‘However, we would recommend that you keep any bubble to a maximum of eight people.
Children under the age of 12 from these households need not count towards the total number of people counted in the bubble. Children under 12 do not need to maintain physical distance from others.
‘You should keep the numbers within a bubble as low as possible and minimise the duration of contact between different households as much as possible.’
It added: ‘You should remain two metres away from people outside of your household as much as possible. The closer you are to other people the more chance the virus will have to transmit between you.’
The First Minister said staying at home should be the ‘default’ position but the easing of restrictions to allow households to gather over Christmas is a ‘recognition of a reality that exists over the Christmas period, whether I like it or not’
Scotland’s national clinical director Professor Jason Leitch added the prevalence of coronavirus will ‘almost certainly’ rise as a result of allowing more households to mix over Christmas
During a Covid-19 briefing on Wednesday, Ms Sturgeon said guidance about the festive period to be issued on Thursday will not be ‘encouraging’ people to meet up.
The First Minister said staying at home should be the ‘default’ position but the easing of restrictions to allow households to gather over Christmas is a ‘recognition of a reality that exists over the Christmas period, whether I like it or not’.
Ms Sturgeon said in England, due to the current form of bubbles there, ‘three households there, potentially, depending on how they draw the guidance, could effectively become six households’.
The First Minister added: ‘I think that would be going too far and it would not be something I would be comfortable with in Scotland.’
Scotland currently has a different form of bubbles than England – north of the border, one person who lives alone or with children under the age of 18 can join another household and become an extended household.
Scotland’s national clinical director Professor Jason Leitch added the prevalence of coronavirus will ‘almost certainly’ rise as a result of allowing more households to mix over Christmas.
Ms Sturgeon asked Scots not to visit relatives in other households over Christmas if they can help it, despite the relaxation of rules.
‘If you can get through this Christmas staying in your own home, within your own household, please do so,’ she said.
‘I want to stress today that just because we’re allowing people to form a bubble (that) does not mean that you have to do it,’ Ms Sturgeon said.
‘If you do choose to do it at all, you don’t have to do it to the maximum permitted.
‘We are relying on people to make informed choices about whether or not to come together at all over the Christmas period.’
Asked about modelling of the impact of the Christmas relaxation on gatherings, Prof Leitch suggested it is too complex to forecast at this stage.
But he added: ‘If houses mix, risk goes up. If houses mix, we will almost certainly see a rise in prevalence.
‘We want that to be as low as it possibly can and we particularly want to protect those most at risk of the virus.’
Scotland has recorded 44 coronavirus deaths and 880 positive tests in the past 24 hours, Ms Sturgeon said, bringing the total number of fatalities under daily measures to 3,588.
But data released by the National Records of Scotland show 5,380 people have died with confirmed or suspected coronavirus since the pandemic began.
Ms Sturgeon said: ‘These are all difficult things to live by. As we head towards Christmas all of this will feel even more difficult – and that is saying something – than it has over these past eight months.
‘As we go through this tough winter and tough festive period for all of us, let’s keep our eyes on that light that is getting brighter almost every day that passes right now that is there on the horizon.
‘The end is in sight, let’s not forget that as we keep ourselves motivated through the remainder of this pandemic.’