new, more contagious variant of the coronavirus changed that.The four nations of the U.K. – England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland – are all in various states of shutdown and have ditched their Christmas plans.
No indoor mixing of households is allowed in London and southeast England.Instead of Christmas joy, a sense of dread and isolation is looming.
Dozens of countries have limited flights from Britain, and daily new infections are running at record highs. Hospitals across the U.K., which has Europe’s second-highest virus-related death toll at over 68,000, are heading towards capacity at a time of year when other illnesses abound.