Professor Scrooge Says Christmas Break Will Lead to Third Wave of Coronavirus

LONDON, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 23: A woman wearing a facemask walks past Christmas decorations
Dan Kitwood/Getty Images
Victoria Friedman

Another government figure has put a dampener on Britons’ attempts to enjoy their very restricted Christmas celebrations, after a SAGE scientist said that Boris Johnson’s relaxation of lockdown for a few days over the holiday period would cause a third coronavirus wave.

After the British government had spent two months toying with the public over whether they would be allowed to have family Christmases, Boris Johnson announced that up to three households could mix between December 23rd and 27th.

The government explained to Britons in a two-and-a-half-thousand word document published on Tuesday evening how they may spend their five days of relaxed lockdown rules in their “Christmas bubbles”, including instructions such as:

  • You can only be in one Christmas bubble;
  • You cannot change your Christmas bubble;
  • You cannot meet someone in a private dwelling who is not part of your household or Christmas bubble; and
  • You cannot meet your Christmas bubble in any other indoor setting, such as a pub, hotel, shop, theatre, or restaurant.

If Britons were already getting too excited organising their Christmas bubbles, a scientist from the government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) said that the plans would “pour fuel on the Covid fire”, triggering a third coronavirus wave, and causing death.

“Effectively what this will be doing is throwing fuel on the Covid fire. I think it will definitely lead to increased transmission. It is likely to lead to a third wave of infection, with hospitals being overrun, and more unnecessary deaths,” Professor Andrew Hayward told the BBC’s Newsnight. He also criticised the prospect of “young people” mixing for “hours, let alone days, with elderly relatives”, calling it a “recipe for regret for many families”.

Many seniors have already lamented that they feel isolated after being forcibly cut off from their loved ones. One family in Manchester has said that they are prepared to go to jail for breaking their grandmother out of a care home so she can spend, what they fear, is their last Christmas together.

The family of 82-year-old Marion Panzica, who is reportedly showing early signs of dementia, have said that she has become despondent trapped in her care home, where she is only allowed short family visits through closed windows.

Daughter Lisa Cowan told the Manchester Evening News: “All I want if for the family to get together and to let my mum be happy.

“She’s not getting the stimulation and conversation she needs. It’s not Covid that will kill her, it’s the loneliness of not seeing her family.”

“My mum is very poorly and this might be her last Christmas. If they don’t sort it we’ll take her — and if it means me going to jail so be it,” she said.

Regional leaders were also keen to scold people planning on enjoying themselves too much at Christmas, with Wales’s leader Mark Drakeford telling the Welsh that they must use their relaxation time “carefully and responsibly”. While Devi Sridhar, a member of Nicola Sturgeon’s coronavirus advisory group, said that the Scottish “will pay for our Christmas holidays” with a lockdown going on into February.

While Professor Neil Ferguson has declared that “people will die” if they spend Christmas together and predicted another shutdown in January. Nicknamed ‘Professor Lockdown’ because his modelling influenced the first shutdown, Professor Ferguson was dismissed from his leading government role after it was revealed he had broken his own rules in May by twice allowing his married lover to travel to his home. However, Ferguson is still a member of SAGE, listed in recent governments documents as a participant.

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