Opinion

Alex Kane: I'm sorry to say that gathering together at Christmas is an unnecessary risk

Alex Kane

Alex Kane

Alex Kane is an Irish News columnist and political commentator and a former director of communications for the Ulster Unionist Party.

Covid restrictions are to be eased around Christmas. Picture by iStock, Press Association
Covid restrictions are to be eased around Christmas. Picture by iStock, Press Association Covid restrictions are to be eased around Christmas. Picture by iStock, Press Association

As the torrent of assorted and sometimes contradictory Christmas guidance for families and 'bubbles' began to flow this week, I couldn't help thinking that it might just be easier to find a lowly stable and hope for a miracle.

Having been bombarded with advice about social distancing, mask-wearing, hugging, handshakes and gatherings, we're now being told to relax for a few days around Christmas and meet-up with family and friends. Hmm. I'm not convinced that the virus understands the concept of a three-day ceasefire.

We've been here before, of course. But every time we are encouraged to relax and ease back into something which can be described as 'normal' far too many of us go completely bonkers and ignore the restrictions altogether. The trend, so far, is that the easing of restrictions is followed by a rise in infection rates and renewed pressure on our hospitals. I don't expect that trend to be bucked this time.

Whatever restrictions may be in place by mid-December it is inevitable that hordes of people will be thronging town and city centres, out-of-town shopping centres and anywhere that is selling anything that can be given as a present. Bubbles will be blown bigger and bigger as front doors are opened to friends, family and neighbours: "Don't worry, we'll just pop in for a few minutes; and none of us have been in contact with anyone or caught anything."

Heaven only knows how many hundreds of thousands of students and people working away from the family home will be boarding planes, trains and ferries in the next few weeks, fully aware that the tiniest, unnoticed slip-up could see them bring the virus back as a sort of additional present to share around during the holiday. How many of the returnees will be 'just slipping out' at some point to catch-up with old friends? How many will be self-isolating for a few days just to be sure they haven't picked up anything before or during the journey (involving stations, airports, queues and close contact with lots of other passengers) home?

I understand the importance of Christmas to many families. We like to be together. We love the old traditions we grew up with. It's lovely to snuggle together on the sofa or under a duvet and watch the old movies we watch every Christmas (particularly that moment when all the old cynics and suddenly grown-up teenagers try to explain why they really aren't crying during the closing scenes of It's A Wonderful Life).

We love that madness when three, sometimes four generations, gather and then scatter themselves around the house on Christmas Day: the young ones trashing the 'present-opening' room; the younger parents trying to out-do each other on the brilliance of their toddlers; the washing-up crew falling into a well-established routine of wash, dry and put-away; the older ones collapsing into comfy chairs, just about keeping their eyes open while relieving themselves of the Brussels sprouts they insisted on eating by way of gentle farts they hope will be blamed on a nearby baby or dog.

So I can understand why millions of people will be prepared to take risks to enjoy that sort of Christmas again. But I still think it's an unnecessary risk. None of us are islands. Unless we don't leave the house at all we will meet a number of people every day. Any one of those people could be a carrier of coronavirus; and any one of them could pass it to us. Or we could just pick it up from a random surface, or door handle, or glass, or any one of dozens of possible contact points or moments. So just imagine the impact of even one virus-carrying family member at a Christmas Day gathering - probably in a standard-sized house, with central heating or an open fire and limited ventilation.

This is not a Bah! Humbug! argument, by the way. I'm not making the case for spoiling Christmas, let alone trying to stop it. Part of the importance of Christmas is that it allows us to gather with loved ones and reflect on what matters most to us: our family. If we really love and care about them, then the priority is to protect them from unnecessary risks.

We have Zoom, Skype, mobiles, texts and delivery services like Amazon. We can share Christmas together. We can talk across different dining tables in different houses. It won't be like any other Christmas we've ever had. But do you know something, it will be the Christmas we'll all remember like no other.