It’s a Covid Christmas

Wednesday December 2nd 2020

Christine-Grahame-MSP


Christine Grahame MSP writes her monthly column for Midlothian View

I must confess between you and me and the proverbial gatepost, I broke my rule not to put up decorations earlier than three weeks before Christmas. Sunday was so grim with wall to wall grey skies until the dark of night that by midday I was well on my way to completing decorating not only the tree but the bannisters.

Did I feel the better for it? Well yes I did.

That brings me to what you and I could and perhaps should do this Christmas. The Scottish Government in step with the other nations of the UK has opted for a five day break in the covid restrictions. It’s not a total break of course and it’s not mandatory. If you can and prefer, the message is still stay at home and don’t travel unnecessarily.

If you do want time with family and friends then you can form a “bubble” and one “bubble” only. So what is that? It is a maximum of three households with a limit of eight people . The five days is from December 23rd to 27th inclusive and then it’s back to the new normal, your area “level”. I am already in a “bubble” as I live alone and will spend a short time on Christmas day with one of my sons, his wife and my two young granddaughters. If it’s sunny then I hope part of that visit will include a walk. But it will be brief of necessity.

Indeed I have become even more cautious since news of a vaccine. The last thing any of us wants is to catch this dreadful virus when prevention is so close. There will be those who will no doubt flout this freedom, and as a consequence, probably like you I am preparing myself for a tough January.

It might have been better simply to cancel Christmas but I think all governments were between a rock and a hard place. Some folk would have gone ahead anyway so, the thinking goes, better to regulate than have a free for all. Let’s hope common sense and communal responsibility prevails and January turns out not so bad after all. Time will tell. In the meantime, stay safe and look forward to better days, to a spring when the coronavirus , face coverings, hand sanitisers, social distancing and “bubbles” will be things of the past.

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