The MP for Lichfield and Burntwood has told residents the coronavirus crisis means they shouldn’t “start hugging granny” over the festive period.
Michael Fabricant’s comments come as the Government confirmed it would not change plans to relax coronavirus restrictions over Christmas.
The Conservative MP was speaking during a question to Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
“On the subject of Christmas, my constituents in Lichfield and Burntwood and the rest of the country have had a torrid year with the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We’ve got this very small break over Christmas, and people have to use common sense of course – don’t start hugging granny and don’t go wild over Christmas, and as the Prime Minister previously said, let’s be jolly careful.
“But I want to say to the Prime Minister, it would not be helpful if some smarmy lawyer now at this late stage were to argue for a change in the laws.”
Michael Fabricant
The Prime Minister replied that people should continue to “exercise caution” despite the relaxation of the restrictions during the festive period.
“I’m very pleased that we have had a good start with the rollout of the vaccination programme, and in just seven days 108,000 people in England, 138,000 across the whole of the UK, have received their first vaccination.
“We must remember that transmission takes place asymptomatically in so many cases – one in three people are currently asymptomatic with COVID-19.
“That is why my Honourable Friend is absolutely right that we should exercise extreme caution in the way we celebrate Christmas – we can celebrate it sensibly, but we have to be extremely cautious in the way we behave.”
Boris Johnson
See the question and answer in full below:
