Boris Johnson issues update on possibility of closing schools as tier system returns

Addressing a Downing Street press briefing, Mr Johnson said that it was hoped that people could see “a little more” of their family and friends over the festive period.

Mr Johnson said: “This is not the moment to let the virus rip for the sake of Christmas parties.

“Tis the season to be jolly but tis also the season to be jolly careful – especially with elderly relatives.”

He added: “We don’t want to ruin it by overdoing it”.

It comes as leaders of the devolved nations are devising plans for a national “special time-limited Christmas dispensation”

He said the plan would be published later this week and there were “very good discussions” ongoing.

“We want to make sure we have a solution for Christmas that everybody can share understand and respect throughout the whole of the UK,” he said.

The plans are not likely to involve closing schools a week early to allow families to isolate for a week before seeing elderly and vulnerable relatives over the holidays, the Prime Minister said.

Keeping children in school has “been at the heart” of efforts of the last few months, he said, adding: “It has meant that we have had to put a lot of pressure sadly on other sectors in order to drive down transmission but we believe education is of huge importance and we want to keep kids in school as much as we can.”

Professor Chris Whitty, chief medical officer for England, urged caution “before during and after” Christmas to minimise the impact of the restrictions being loosened for the holiday.

“It is pretty obvious to anybody that the Christmas holiday period – the loosening around that which I think everyone welcomes as an ability for families to come together and all the things that go on with the winter period – we all know that is going to come at a risk,” he said.

“And the amount of risk of it depends on three things – people stick to the Tiers before we go into Christmas to make sure we keep the numbers coming down or stabilised at a low level.”