Despite growing pressure from doctors and scientists to abandon the relaxation of Covid restrictions over Christmas , the four nations of the United Kingdom have decided to stick largely to the previously agreed plans.
However with the number of infections rising sharply all four UK nations are urging people to observe “extreme caution” over the five-day Christmas period.
The rules initially agreed for all of the UK between the 23rd and 27th December allow three households in a “Christmas bubble” to mix indoors and to stay overnight if that’s unavoidable.
Wales now wants to limit the mixing to two households but those households can be joined by a single person who lives alone. Non-essential shops will close on Christmas Eve and all of Wales will return to a form of lockdown on 28th December.
Scotland is urging that any interaction with other households should ideally be outdoors and that contact should be limited to one day.
Huw Edwards presents BBC News at Ten reporting by political editor Laura Kuenssberg, James Shaw in Glasgow, Emma Vardy in Lisburn, Sian Lloyd in Cardiff and health editor Hugh Pym.
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