Large family Christmas gatherings are at risk of being banned after Sage called for an “immediate” curtailment of indoor mixing to combat the spread of omicron. In minutes from a Sage meeting on Thursday, released on Saturday, the group describes indoor mixing as “the biggest risk factor”. It also suggests “reducing group sizes, increasing physical distancing, reducing duration of contacts and closing high-risk premises”. Senior government scientific advisors are understood to regard a “circuit break” of a fortnight as too short to make a meaningful impact. That could mean restrictions are in place until the second half of January at the earliest.

Source: The Times December 18, 2021 22:05 UTC