'A massive headache': European leaders put off Covid Christmas decisions

Europe’s governments are putting off painful decisions about Christmas and new year celebrations, with few yet keen to say exactly what will be allowed and many already warning there could be much that will not. “It’s a massive headache,” a French government minister told Le Monde, noting the “impossible choice” between a “socially untenable” ban on family get-togethers and the medical imperative of not further fuelling the spread of coronavirus. In a speech in late October announcing France’s second lockdown, President Emmanuel Macron said that if the pandemic was brought under control, the government would “see nearer the time whether we can hope to celebrate the festive season en famille”. As with most countries, that time has plainly not yet come.