Tonight has encapsulated my opinion - a Minister/SPAD or Downing Street Comms person thought that calling it “mutant Covid-19” would nullify the criticism of inadequate planning and for killing Christmas https://twitter.com/guy_stallard/status/1340578563544805376

But as always the Ministerial team had not thought past the headlines in UK papers the next day

I guess they forget that the rest of the world can read English and fear that UK really has mutant #Covid19UK - with resulting devastation to their countries

Hence hardly surprising that borders get closed with result food shortages etc etc

Now if UK really has got mutant #Covid19UK then we do need to be put in full isolation at a level tighter than March

If there is no mutant #Covid19UK and it was all about UK media management Boris and the Cabinet have hit the corner flag instead of scoring when there was no goalkeeper or defenders

Tomorrow will tell but I fear spin has backfired badly

The correct approach was “we have a slightly different strain of #Covid19UK nothing major as the vaccine will still work. However, it does seem to spread at a slightly faster rate so as a Country we need to all 100% embrace need to ventilate houses & adopt “hands,face,space”

In addition, given at Christmas it is hard to ventilate houses because of low outside temperatures when you have guests especially the elderly we recommend that people have a quiet Christmas and don’t mix with other households

We know this will disappoint but better to be safe than risk guests getting pneumonia from having all the windows open or #Covid19UK from keeping them shut

By Easter the vaccine will have received by a significant number in the UK but not quite enough for a jamboree However, things will be so much better by Whitsun that we have decided as a Government to make Friday 21st May and Tuesday 25th May bank holidays as well so families

Can really celebrate things getting back to normal What a positive thought

The end