Christmas and COVID-19

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2020 has been far from festive, but as the year comes to an end, many of Europe's governments are scrambling to avoid stringent lockdowns over the Christmas holidays.

The push to save the celebration comes despite the fact that other religious festivals -- including Christian ones -- have been marked in a muted fashion in recent months.
The UK government on Tuesday unveiled plans to temporarily relax coronavirus restrictions for five days, from December 23 to 27, allowing up to three households to celebrate together in "Christmas bubbles." This means small groups of family and friends will be able meet in person for what may be the first time in months.

The previous day, Johnson cautioned that while the festive period may be "the season to be jolly ... it is also the season to be jolly careful, especially with elderly relatives."

The message that stricter autumn rules could lead to a more relaxed Christmas period has been repeated across Europe.

In France, a second national lockdown was imposed at the end of October, but despite non-essential businesses across the country being closed, the government has permitted the sale of Christmas trees, by decree.

A slowdown in the spread of the virus means France's lockdown will begin to ease this weekend, President Emmanuel Macron said Tuesday. The restrictions could be lifted further on December 15, if the daily number of cases drops under 5,000 and there are only 2,000-3,000 in hospital ICUs.

"We will therefore once again be able to travel without authorization, including between regions, and spend Christmas with our family," Macron said.

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte urged people to abide by the country's Covid-19 restrictions in order to enjoy Christmas, in a speech earlier this autumn. but Italy has since struck a more cautious note.

The Irish government is set to ease restrictions for nearly two weeks around the Christmas period and is considering allowing up to three households to gather for the holidays, Deputy Prime Minister Leo Varadkar told state broadcaster RTE on Wednesday.
And in Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel asked the public to obey social distancing restrictions in October, in order to preserve the country's Christmas celebrations.

German MPs are currently considering a draft proposal which would allow up to 10 people to celebrate Christmas and New Year together, CNN affiliate n-tv reported.

German MPs are currently considering a draft proposal which would allow up to 10 people to celebrate Christmas and New Year together, CNN affiliate n-tv reported.

All were marked quietly, without government debate. None attracted the fervor inspired by the prospect of a pandemic Christmas.

The sense that some festivals are prioritized over others also exists in Britain. Many Muslims in northern England were caught off guard in July when the government restricted people's movements in some areas, just hours before Eid al-Adha prayers were due to begin.

Elizabeth Oldfield, the director of Theos, a Christian think tank, told CNN that Christmas' importance now extends beyond religion, making it a national and secular event as well as a spiritual one.

"Christmas is less the crux of the [Christian] theological year compared to Easter," Oldfield told CNN.

This year, she pointed out, "Christians weren't able to mark Good Friday or celebrate Easter Sunday, which for the majority of Christians is really important."
She added: "This 'saving Christmas' is almost entirely a cultural, civic Christian [idea.] This is not about religion at all, it's about national identity, civic identity."

In Belgium, all Christmas markets have been canceled, as has the market in the German city of Cologne. The Viennese Christmas Dream market in Austria, the Strasbourg Christmas Market in France and the Basel Christmas Market in Switzerland are all going ahead, however.

On November 10, Estonia announced that all events in the country, including Christmas parties, would be canceled, though the government added that: "Celebrating Christmas with family is, of course, allowed."

If Europe does choose to celebrate Christmas with a softening of lockdowns, there may be a price to pay in the new year.

Canada has seen a spike in coronavirus cases in the three weeks since its citizens celebrated Canadian Thanksgiving in October. Its largest city, Toronto, went back into lockdown earlier this week.

Dr. Mike Ryan, executive director of WHO's Health Emergencies Programme, said the country was a cautionary tale for the holiday season.