Families who’ve lost loved ones to Covid-19 say Christmas mixing plan is ‘madness’

Families who’ve lost loved ones to Covid-19 have described the government’s plans for households to mix over Christmas as ‘sheer madness’.

Instead, they’ve urged the public to have a low-key festive season so they don’t have to risk the same grief they’ve suffered, with one person saying family groups that meet up should ‘prepare for a funeral’.

The Guardian spoke to members of the Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice group, who told them that the government’s festive plans are too high-risk.

Yesterday evening, Tuesday November 24th, the government announced that three households will be able to meet up indoors for five days over Christmas.

The households would form a ‘bubble’ for the festive period, and the relaxation of the rules will apply across the whole of the UK – see more details of the Christmas plan here.

59-year-old Bev Mead lost her mum to the virus, and she called the plans a ‘terrifying prospect’, adding: “it’s literally like sacrificing your loved ones for a slice of turkey and some brussels sprouts”.

Shelly Weeks said: “The death rate will soar after Christmas, and again the government will deny they did anything wrong… Can’t people just wait an extra few months when hopefully the vaccine is being rolled out? I know I’ve lost and am grieving but people need to look at the bigger picture.”

Tony Fitzgerald, 65, lost his wife, Ann. He said: “The younger, fitter, healthier people out there may very well be infected and pull through.

“Would your gran, grandad or any older relative come through if infected? If you’re prepared to take that risk, be prepared for a funeral, it might be the last time you see them.”

Becky Kummer lost her dad back in April, however she said the Christmas plan was the ‘right decision under difficult circumstances’, because it would help boost morale and would be good for mental health.

She added: “There is still of course a huge risk with mixing this way and it will be awful if stories emerge of whole families getting infected, and worse.

“But I think if they had said we all need to stay with the lockdown we currently have, people would’ve broken the rules anyway.”