Shoppers warned ‘not to spend more than 15 minutes in a store’ this Christmas

SAGE has warned the public to limit the time they spend in each shop when they reopen from tomorrow, Wednesday December 2nd. 

SAGE professor, Lucy Yardley has explained that the ‘less time you spend in there, the safer you are’ while shopping for Christmas presents, when non-essential retail shops reopen. 

When asked how long is ‘too long’, Lucy explained: “Well, the rule that is useful for contact tracing is that if you spend 15 minutes with somebody closer than two metres, then you have definitely had a potentially infectious contact with them.

“So that’s quite a generous amount of time, I am not sure that most of us would need that amount of time in a shop.

“And really the the less time that you spend in there, the safer you are. If you spend time, close enough to somebody and they happen to bring it on you or call for new, then it doesn’t take 15 minutes to catch the virus.”

She also explained that Christmas shopping is ‘not the most dangerous thing’ if people are wearing masks and social distancing is enforced.

Speaking on the relaxing of lockdown rules over Christmas, Lucy urged people to take a step back and think before visiting elderly relatives.

She said: “Is it really important for you to share your home for the entire period that’s allowed?

“Because that is very risky to older people who are particularly vulnerable to this infection.

“So I think, although we’re allowed to do that, and some people will want to do that, the first question to ask yourself is, would it be better to put it off for a few months until they’ve been vaccinated?”

Between December 23rd and 27th three households can meet indoors for Christmas. 

The Prime Minister explained at the time of the announcement that he knows this ‘does not equate to a normal Christmas’ and that the plans ‘will not work for everyone’.