Highlights

• The Boris Johnson government has already reintroduced the new Covid measures and announced a plan B measure.
• The government is hopeful that people will be able to enjoy Christmas this year and currently there are no plan for further restrictions over Christmas and New Year, despite the emergence of new variant.
• Many companies have already cancelled Christmas parties while many are opting for smaller gathering and many companies are also opting to celebrate Christmas virtually due to safety precautions.

Following the emergence of new Omicron variant and rising cases in Europe, people are concerned if this year Christmas will be cancelled once again and if there will be another lockdown, or everything will go according to plan.

The Boris government has already reintroduced the new Covid measures and announced a Plan B measure to tackle the spread. The government has directed to working from home if possible and wearing mask has been made compulsory by law. Further, certain venues and events need to check that all visitors over 18 got their two doses of covid vaccine and have a NHS COVID pass or negative test result in the last 48 hours or have an exemption.

Travellers coming to the UK will now have to take pre-departure test a maximum of 48 hours before leaving, regardless of their vaccination status. But will there be further restriction in UK during this holiday season?

Another lockdown

The UK government is hopeful that people will be able to enjoy Christmas this year and currently there are no plans for further restrictions over Christmas and New Year, despite the emergence of new coronavirus variant.  

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However, scientists and researchers are still not sure that how widely the new variant may spread and vaccine efficiency on it. The answer is not expected for around two weeks.  The UK government is instead focusing on boosting up the vaccination campaign and is expecting that the current restrictions will be extended for another two to three weeks and no further restrictions will be introduced.

If Christmas celebration will be compromised again this year depends on how widely the new variant spread.   

Also read: New Covid checks: UK govt works on Plan B to control Omicron variant

Christmas Affordability

According to StepChange debt help charity, around 24% people who celebrate Christmas will struggle to afford it this year. While 45% said they can afford Christmas and around 50% said they were able to comfortably afford it this year. 

Over 22% of people are planning to reduce their spending in Christmas this year, 8% will borrow money to pay for as compared to 5% who borrowed for last year during Christmas. At least 24% of the people who said they will borrow for Christmas believes it take one or more years to repay.  

Of 2000 people surveyed, around 65% Britons said the rising household expenses are the reasons for borrowing money to pay for Christmas, 25% said reduced income is the reason and 16% said recent loss of temporary uplift to universal credit is the reason. 

Further, 12% of the Christmas borrowers said that ending of the Covid-19 support measures such as Furlough scheme are the reason. These Christmas borrowers usually use credit cards to pay for Christmas and the second most common method is buy now pay later.

This Christmas can be difficult for some people as they are struggling financially to balance their budget and millions of people are still paying off their debts with rising living costs and supply chain crisis.

Also read: Is investing a better option than shopping on Black Friday?

Christmas Shopping

Due to supply chain crisis and increasing cases of new variant, it’s better to do pre- Christmas shopping as many stores still don’t allow queuing to avoid overcrowding and Covid transmission.

Wearing face mask and keeping social distancing in public areas, such as public transport and shops have become mandatory again.

Some sectors are still experiencing supply chain crisis that could have a knock-on effect on Christmas feast and presents.  However, the government has confirmed that turkey supplies will not be affected.   

Meals and parties

As there is still no plan for lockdown, it is likely that families and friends can gather together for celebration of the Christmas. But with the risk of Omicron spread many companies have already cancelled parties while many are opting for smaller gathering.  Companies are also opting to celebrate Christmas virtually due to safety precautions.

The UK government has also announced that people need to show their NHS pass or negative test result in the last 48 hours or have exemptions for gathering in certain events and venues.

Also read: Crude oil rises as concern eases over Omicron Variant

Christmas last year 

Last year, the government planned for a five-day Christmas bubble to allow people to celebrate with their friends and family. But it was scrapped as the Delta cases were soaring.

Christmas celebration was ruined for millions of people, as the new tier four was created for people living in London and parts of the South East, who were not allowed to mix with anyone outside their home and for rest of the country gathering was restricted to only three households. Britons were also asked not to travel and stay local.

The only difference this year and last year was that most of the populations are vaccinated this year.