Normal Christmas still possible in Sheffield but public health expert admits it’s a ‘long shot’

Dr Andrew Lee, reader in public health at the University of Sheffield, made the claim following reports ministers are considering letting families choose a small number of households they can socialise indoors with for five days, starting on Christmas Eve.

On whether that idea is safe, he said: "It depends on where you are in the country. A lot of parts of the country, like the North, have a lot of infections and socialising does carry risks.

"From a public health point of view the advice remains to minimise social mixing as much as possible, especially in areas where there’s still lots of transmission.”

He added: "Our levels [in Sheffield] are going down, which is good news, and we want it to keep going in that direction. It’s hard to know where we will land come Christmas. It could potentially still remain higher than we would like it, higher than we feel is safe.

"If we can get the numbers as low as what we had in summer then I think that’s a safe level. If we can get it to those levels then it would be safe.”

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The city’s infection rate during early summer was about 20 per 100,000 people. Despite a recent fall, it remains “too high” according to Sheffield’s director of public health.

There were 291 cases per 100,000 of the population in the seven days to 14 November. The average area in England had 223.

Dr Lee said: "It’s a long shot. Realistically, it might not still be possible to have large family gatherings. We may still be limited down to two households or something along those lines.

"If we want to allow people to meet up but keep levels of risk low we probably would want to keep to a minimum the number of households mixing.”

Difficulty maintaining social distancing inside homes and the high risk of rapid exposure to coronavirus could see infections increase again and restrictions prolonged, Dr Lee warned.

Scientists have suggested five days of tighter rules would be needed for every day measures are eased.

Downing Street said said proposals to ease restrictions over Christmas will be set out next week.

In these confusing and worrying times, local journalism is more vital than ever. Thanks to everyone who helps us ask the questions that matter by taking out a digital subscription or buying a paper. We stand together. Nancy Fielder, editor.