Coronavirus Christmas gathering rules expected to be announced in early December

If an decision is made too early, it may end up being changed, minister says

Experts have warned this will not be a typical Christmas (REUTERS)

Coronavirus rules for gatherings over the Christmas period are expected to be announced in early December, with a minister saying the decision on festive household mixing will be made “as close to the end of England's national lockdown as possible”.

It is important that decisions are made after the effect of England’s month-long lockdown has been assessed, the defence secretary stressed.

Appearing on BBC Breakfast, Ben Wallace said: "The best time to make those decisions about how we can get together for Christmas, how we can get through this festive period, is when we have seen the impact of this lockdown on the figures.

"The best time for me to give you better advice, for the government to make that decision, is as close to 2 December as possible.

"I know some people would wish to know earlier, but if we were to do it now, and the facts were changing on the ground, we'll end up having to change it again."

However, Mr Wallace said that while the decision will try to strike a balance that allows a degree of normality for families, the government will  “ultimately try and make sure we protect our NHS and safeguard lives”.

The defence secretary added: "I don't want to be the Grinch that stole Christmas – I'm not campaigning for that. I would love all of us to be able to have a Christmas but more than anything I want us to get through this Covid and try and get this country back to normal and I want to protect lives."

Meanwhile, a scientific adviser has warned that household mixing over the holidays raises "substantial risks" associated with bringing younger and older people together.

Prof Hayward, who is a member of the government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE), told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "My personal view is we're putting far too much emphasis on having a near-normal Christmas. 

"We know respiratory infections peak in January so throwing fuel on the fire over Christmas can only contribute to this."  

It follows suggestions that England may pay a high price for a few days of Christmas socialising, with reports that a month-long lockdown in January may be needed to counteract its effects.

A Public Health England spokesperson has said SAGE has indicated that for every day of socialising, five days of harsher measures may potentially be needed.

Dr Susan Hopkins, the government's medical coronavirus adviser, said on Wednesday that the government are developing a plan to allow Christmas to be "as close to normal as possible",  and are aiming for a common approach across the UK to allow families living in different countries in the union to meet.