COVID-19 will not take a week off. The decision by this government to allow up to three families to mix indoors for 5 days over Christmas will be disastrous and could mean many will die unnecessarily. After our Christmas celebrations are over, we will be counting the cost in our families and communities as the death toll inevitably rises. 

Cases are already worryingly high, and our hospitals already pushed to the limit on top of the usual winter pressures. Staff on the frontline of this pandemic are struggling to cope with cases now, and if the government does not take swift action we are headed for a catastrophe, the like of which the NHS has never seen.

I am a recently retired doctor and I’ve witnessed illness and death many times in the course of my working life. I live alone and have a family of four children and their partners, including a new grandchild. Despite this I have made the tough decision not to see any of them this Christmas. We all want to spend time with our loved ones but this is a national emergency, if I can do it, so will many others if given the right advice.

I would recommend you please show care for your family and loved ones by not meeting inside with vulnerable friends or relatives this Christmas. But the government must also reverse its current household mixing plan now.

The government’s failure to create an effective ‘test and trace’ system and lack of support for those needing to isolate means that Covid-19 infection is once again on the rise with life threatening implications for many. Please sign my petition for the government to be honest with people and do the right thing by giving a clear public health message: “Stay at home this Christmas and save lives - protect your family and all your loved ones.” Thank you.

Dr John Puntis, Paediatrician and Co-Chair of Keep Our NHS Public