Piers Morgan, host of Good Morning Britain show, drew the ire of the public after he said that Christmas celebrations should be cancelled in light of spike in coronavirus cases. Morgan’s statement came in response to reports in UK media, which say that British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is considering lifting the rule of six (safety measure, which prohibits gatherings of more than six people indoors and outdoors) on Christmas Day.
Morgan, who has been very critical of the government’s handling of the coronavirus outbreak, lambasted the proposal and told viewers that Christmas celebrations should be cancelled in order to curb the spread of the disease.
"This virus has not got any less virulent, it doesn’t understand rule of six or Boris’ idea of having Christmas Day off as if somehow we can all amass on Christmas Day and then go back to the rules. As if the virus is going, 'Oh okay, I’ll leave you alone on Christmas Day'. If we miss Christmas Day as a country, if that’s what we have to do, we have to do it. This is our war. People have to be realistic about that", TV host said.
Morgan’s proposal has left people enraged. Social media users made it clear that they are ready to breach safety rules and celebrate the holiday with their loved ones.
Others noted that in current circumstances people need hope and stressed that they already have spent months without seeing their relatives and friends.
Some users said that the proposed measure is actually safe and won’t result in new infections and that the only way to get out of pandemic is through herd immunity.
Others however criticized British authorities for the inconsistent policy on the coronavirus outbreak.
Still others agreed with Morgan’s proposal to cancel Christmas celebrations and said people who don’t take the pandemic seriously should be isolated.
The development comes as Britain and other European countries have recently seen a spike in coronavirus cases. The coronavirus’ R rate in Britan (the average number of people an infected person will pass the disease on to) has jumped to 1.4. Government scientific adviser Peter Openshaw warned the public that the United Kingdom will go into a "hard lockdown" if Brits don’t get a grip.
Matt Hancock, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care urged the public to follow safety rules, which the government recently introduced to stop the spread the disease, or they get tougher. Authorities in England introduced a 10,000 pound fine ($12,854) for those, who fail to self-isolate when testing positive or were in close contact with an individual who tested positive.