Coronavirus Restrictions Should Be The Same Across All Four UK Nations This Christmas, The Lib Dems And Alliance Party Of Northern Ireland Have Said.

Jsportnewsaddess.blogspot.com

Jsportnewsaddess.blogspot.com

In a letter, the parties said travel between the nations was "inevitable" during the festive season and anti-Covid policies should acknowledge this.

They have called for a "four-nations summit" to agree a shared plan.

Downing Street said the best way to get "back to some sort of normal" was for everyone to follow official guidance.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government has responsibility for health policy - including social distancing, the size of gatherings and other Covid-19 restrictions - in England.

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford and Northern Ireland First Minister Arlene Foster each oversee the rules in their respective nations.

This means different restrictions are in place across the UK, which, it is argued, could cause confusion when people move between the different nations during the holidays.

A letter - signed by Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey, as well as Scottish Lib Dem leader Willie Rennie, Welsh Lib Dem leader Jane Dodds and Alliance Party deputy leader Stephen Farry - asks the national leaders to "accept the inevitability" that people will travel, including between nations.

"It therefore falls on you and your counterparts to work across governments to explore workable solutions that can enable travel to happen safely," it states.

"To manage the implications for public health, we are urging you to hold a four-nations summit to co-operate on students' return, to agree uniform guidance on the number of people who can gather, and to explore how best to expand travel options to allow social distancing."

Sir Ed said: "No one country can manage this challenge in isolation. The fractured rules across the UK have already been incredibly difficult to piece together."

In non-pandemic years, millions of people move around the UK at Christmas time to see friends or families, packing out trains and clogging up motorways.

If household gatherings continue to be limited in number, many of the usual larg
er gatherings would be illegal this year.

Source: jsportnewsaddess.blogspot.com