Warrington public health leaders urge residents to take extra care if mixing with other households on Christmas Day this year.
Although a maximum of three households are able to meet on Christmas Day, keeping the number of contacts residents have with others is essential in helping to reduce the transmission of the virus. This is particularly important if you are planning to see elderly or clinically extremely vulnerable relatives, as the more people you come into contact with, the greater the chance of transmission.
Warrington leaders are therefore asking people to think very carefully about their Christmas plans, and if you are seeing loved ones to observe social distancing and to keep meetings as short as possible to reduce the spread of the virus. You should also let in as much fresh air as you can while indoors and sanitise touch points like door handles and surfaces regularly.
Council leader, Cllr Russ Bowden, said: “We appreciate this year has been exceptionally challenging for everyone and I know that we won’t be able to see and spend time with our loved ones as we normally would, but we must not give up. We also need to acknowledge that if we are planning to spend time with others, we need to do what we can to reduce the risk of the virus being transmitted to others.
“You might also want to consider meeting people outside for a walk rather than seeing them indoors, and you can also make the most of tech to help you celebrate with loved ones. Following these temporary restrictions over Christmas is crucial to keep cases down and protect our vulnerable residents. Again, we need our residents and communities to make difficult sacrifices to keep people safe.”
Cllr Maureen McLaughlin, cabinet member for public health and wellbeing, said: “The more people you see and come into contact with on Christmas Day, the more chance you have of spreading the virus. As always, reducing contact with others helps to minimise the spread of infection and keep everyone as safe as possible. This year, I am urging residents to think carefully about the risks and only form a Christmas bubble if you feel you absolutely need to.
“If you are going to see other people, it’s still vitally important to remember the basics over the festive period – please make sure you are washing your hands regularly, maintaining social distancing where possible and wearing a face covering where appropriate. It may be a different way of celebrating this year, but if we are all sensible and stick to the rules we can strike a balance between spending time with our loved ones and limiting the risk of spreading infection.”
If you’ve had a positive test result, are displaying coronavirus symptoms, or are told to self-isolate via NHS Test and Trace or local contact tracers, then you must not mix with anyone outside your household on Christmas Day and must observe self-isolation rules. If a member of your Christmas bubble tests positive for coronavirus, or develops coronavirus symptoms on Christmas Day or afterwards, all members of the bubble must self-isolate.
To keep up to date about coronavirus in Warrington, visit warrington.gov.uk/coronavirus. The gov.uk website also has full guidance and advice for Christmas.
