Senior Conservative MPs have demanded that Boris Johnson set out a “clear exit strategy” from the “nightmarish cycle” of Covid-19 restrictions as they signalled they could rebel over the latest measures, Harry Yorke reports.
After 16.4 million people were plunged into a new Tier 4, Mark Harper, the chairman of the Covid Recovery Group, called on ministers to begin drawing up a “clear road map” back to “normal life” in the new year.
With Christmas plans dashed for people across the country, he said that the roll-out of coronavirus vaccines must be closely linked to the relaxation of restrictions, with easements taking place at each stage of the immunisation programme.
– Archbishop warns Christmas churchgoers: Don’t mingle and steer clear of the choir
Places of worship will remain open over the Christmas period in all tiers, but the Most Rev Justin Welby said people must take precautions, Gabriella Swerling reports.
The Archbishop of Canterbury has warned people not to mingle after church services and to avoid contact with choirs following the Government’s new Christmas rules.
The Most Rev Justin Welby also said that Christmas is not cancelled and that the public should take practical measures to avoid loneliness.
The head of the Church of England’s comments came hours after Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced a new Tier 4 level of Covid-19 restrictions for London and the South East, amounting to a full lockdown.
Even in areas in Tier 4, the toughest level of restriction in England, places of worship will remain open over the Christmas period.
