It’s not quite the most wonderful time of the year.
As the Christmas holiday draws nearer and new coronavirus cases continue to rise, UK government officials are looking for any means to avoid another lockdown. On Tuesday, UK officials announced a plan to relax coronavirus restrictions from Dec. 23 – Dec. 27, according to CNN.
This four-day “bubble” allows people from three different households to come together and celebrate the holidays.
“This year, Christmas will be different,” said England Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
“Many of us are longing to spend time with family and friends … yet we cannot throw caution to the wind. The virus doesn’t know that it’s Christmas.”
England is currently under a second nationwide lockdown with daily coronavirus cases on the rise.
French President Emmanuel Macron said Tuesday that he will begin allowing travel to different regions on Dec.15 should the daily new coronavirus case drops to below 5,000 a day.
“We will therefore once again be able to travel without authorization, including between regions, and spend Christmas with our family,” says Macron.
Similar sentiments have been echoed by other countries such as Italy, Germany and Ireland. All have which have stated that if their citizens are mindful of staying isolated now and following the protocols set in place, that come Christmas, there will be relaxed measures.
