People who have lost a loved one to COVID-19 say relaxing the restrictions is like playing “Russian roulette” with people’s lives.
According to the Guardian newspaper, members of the COVID-19 Bereaved Families for Justice group say they do not support the newly announced plans which mean three households can mix over the festive period.
Bev Mead lost her mother to coronavirus and said the newly announced plans were a “terrifying prospect”.
The 59-year-old added: “It’s literally like sacrificing your loved ones for a slice of turkey and some brussels sprouts.”
Shelly Weeks’ husband died from COVID-19 in April. She said the policy is like “playing Russian roulette”.
The 47-year-old added: “The death rate will soar after Christmas, and again the government will deny they did anything wrong. Can’t people just wait an extra few months when hopefully the vaccine is being rolled out? I know I’ve lost and am grieving but people need to look at the bigger picture.”
Sam Swales, whose partner also died from COVID agreed saying that “if people knew the true risk, they would not take it”.
She added: “We have a potential end in sight and we need to focus on saving as many lives as possible. There should be a massive campaign to encourage people to have a low-key Christmas.”
Professor of global public health at the University of Edinburgh seems to agree with their warnings.
Speaking at a recent Commons committee meeting, Professor Devi Sridhar said: “The virus doesn’t care if it’s Christmas. We still have pretty high prevalence across the country. It is risky for people to mix indoors with alcohol with elderly relatives at this point in time.”
