Christmas is a gift to Covid Professor warns celebrations create perfect conditions for coronavirus
Prof Stephen Reicher also warned about the consequences of people from different parts of the country
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It comes as some have called for restrictions to be maintained over Christmas. Professor Stephen Reicher, a social psychologist from the University of St Andrews, told Times Radio: “Christmas is a gift to the virus. If you want the perfect conditions for the spread of virus it would be to be indoors, somewhere that wasn’t well ventilated, somewhere which was crowded, somewhere where there’s alcohol so that we forget our inhibitions and that describes perfectly the Christmas dinner.” Prof Reicher, who sits on the Scientific Pandemic Insights Group on Behaviours (SPI-B), which advises the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage), added: “Of course we don’t want to give gifts to this virus, we want to look after ourselves and the best way of doing that, I think, is sadly to postpone if we can.
Families sharing Christmas dinner create “perfect conditions” for coronavirus to spread, a professor of psychology has warned.
Professor Stephen Reicher, from the University of St Andrews, told Times Radio on Saturday: “Christmas is a gift to the virus.
“If you want the perfect conditions for the spread of the virus it would be to be indoors, somewhere that wasn’t well ventilated, somewhere which was crowded, somewhere where there’s alcohol so that we forget our inhibitions, and that describes perfectly the Christmas dinner.”
His comments came on the last weekend ahead of the planned temporary easing of restrictions over the Christmas period.
The professor said Christmas is a gift to Covid-19 CHRISTMAS dinner presents the “perfect conditions” for coronavirus to spread, a top scientific expert has warned. Professor Stephen Reicher, a social psychologist from the University of St Andrews, told Times Radio: “Christmas is a gift to the virus. If you want the perfect conditions for the spread of virus it would be to be indoors, somewhere that wasn’t well ventilated, somewhere which was crowded, somewhere where there’s alcohol so that we forget our inhibitions and that describes perfectly the Christmas dinner.” Reicher, who sits on the Scientific Pandemic Insights Group on Behaviours (SPI-B), which advises the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage), added: “Of course we don’t want to give gifts to this virus, we want to look after ourselves and the best way of doing that, I think, is sadly to postpone if we can.
Boris Johnson speaks of heavy heart as Christmas is sacrificed to protect the vulnerable Christmas cancelled for millions as Boris Johnson announces new restrictions | Covid-19 Jessica Carpani, Live-blogging
19 December 2020 • 7:32 PM
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Boris Johnson spoke of his “heavy heart as he condemned 16 million people to Christmas without seeing their relatives.
The Prime Minister introduced a sweeping new lockdown for swathes of the South East after coronavirus cases soared.
He said that Christmas would be “different” this year but that the sacrifice would mean protecting the lives of the people we love so that we can “see them at future Christmases”.