New guidance issued for Christmas - as people urged to keep contacts to a minimum

New coronavirus guidance has been issued ahead of the Christmas period - encouraging people to keep their contact with others to a minimum.

Although the four UK governments have agreed to continue with a relaxation of some restrictions for a five-day window, from December 23-27, they have issued advice to people planning to meet up with others.

It includes:

• Only meeting up with other households in the festive 'bubble' once, and keeping the duration of these visits as short as possible
• Keeping bubbles as small as possible
• Avoiding overnight stays unless unavoidable
• Avoiding travel, particularly between high-prevalence and low-prevalence areas

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon says her recommendation is that people celebrate Christmas within their own household and home.

But she says some flexibility is being allowed to mitigate the potential impact of loneliness on those who would otherwise be on their own.

She said: "Our strong advice this Christmas is to stay at home with your own household. Any interaction with other households should, as far as possible, be outdoors. That is the best way of keeping yourself and your loved ones safe this Christmas.

"However, we recognize that in some cases, the isolation caused by being alone over Christmas will in itself cause harm to people’s welfare and that is why we have created a window of flexibility with accompanying guidance, to ensure that any household mixing is done as safely as possible,

"If you choose to form a bubble over the Christmas period, then you should take into consideration these key points.

"First, minimise the number of people in the bubble - while three households is the legal maximum, our recommendation is that two households would be better, and you should keep as far within the maximum of eight people over the age of 12 as you can. In short, the smaller the bubble is, the better and safer it will be.

"Second, you should minimise the time spent with your bubble, especially indoors. The five days is a window of opportunity, not a recommended time that it is safe for you to spend together - indeed, the Scottish Government recommends that you do not meet up with people in your bubble on any more than one day over the period and do not stay overnight unless it is unavoidable. And you should minimise the distance you intend to travel.

"You should also avoid all travel between high prevalence areas and low prevalence areas - in particular, that means avoiding travel to or from Scotland and tier areas in England, and to or from any level four areas in Scotland - of which there are currently none.

“Being asked not to see loved ones at Christmas unless absolutely essential is one of the toughest things imaginable. But, this year, it is essential to help keep people safe.

"With a vaccination programme now underway, a return to more normal life is on the horizon - and I hope that the prospect of brighter days ahead will help all of us get through this difficult Christmas as safely as possible."