to relax covid regulations over christmas as a "rash decision" that could "cost many lives". representatives from the four nations of the uk have met to discuss the relaxation of regulations over christmas, but bbc news reports they are unlikely to change the agreed rules. instead, advice on celebrating christmas is expected to be strengthened to suggest people think carefully and remain local if they can. the test to release scheme begins in england, allowing travellers to pay privately for a covid test five days after arrival, and end their quarantine period if they receive a negative test. but the launch is chaotic as the eleven private firms chosen by the government to administer the tests have teething problems. 16 december london, and parts of essex and hertfordshire, are placed into tier three of england's covid tier system following an increase in case numbers in those areas. following a meeting between the leaders of the four nations of the uk, prime minister boris johnson announces that covid regulations will still be relaxed for five days over the christmas period, but urges people to think before meeting up with relatives. the three household rule will stay in place, except in wales where the law is to be changed to specify only two households can meet, while in scotland people will be urged to meet up on only one of the five days. nadhim zahawi, the parliamentary under-secretary of state for covid-19 vaccine deployment, announces that 137,897 people were given their first dose of the pfizer/biontech vaccine between 8 and 15 december (the first week of the vaccination rollout). 17 december figures for england's nhs test and trace show it is reaching 92.7% of contacts, up from 85.9% the previous week; the increased success rate is attributed to improvements to the website, a reduction in repeat calls to households and more people making those calls. chancellor rishi sunak extends the furlough scheme for a further month until the end of april 2021. conservative mp tobias ellwood apologises after breaching covid regulations by giving a speech at a dinner in london where 27 people were present. 18 december figures from the office for national statistics show that uk retail sales fell by 3.8% during november due to lockdown restrictions. the r number is believed to be above 1 again, and between 1.1 and 1.2. 19 december with respect to just england, prime minister boris johnson announces that london and parts of the south east and east of england are to go into new tier 4 restrictions from the following day. the rules are mostly the same as the national restrictions in november, with non-essential retail, hairdressers and gyms closing. in england, plans for christmas bubbles are scrapped completely in tier 4, while in the rest of england christmas bubbles are limited to meeting up on christmas day. the total number of covid-19 cases across the uk exceeds 2 million. a bbc investigation discovers that fake "covid-19 immunity boosters" are being sold in shops in london. 20 december ireland, germany, france, italy, the netherlands, canada and belgium halt flights to and from the uk following the emergence of a new variant of sars-cov-2. france also halts ferry traffic for 48 hours, and the port of dover is closed. 35,928 new cases of covid are recorded, almost double the number recorded on the same day the previous week. 21 december more than 40 countries have suspended flights to and from the uk. they include hong kong, which suspends all uk flights from the following day, with anyone spending more than two hours in the uk no longer able to fly to hong kong. india suspends uk flights until 31 december. as talks begin between uk and french officials aimed at reopening freight transport links between the two countries, uk supermarkets warn that some fresh produce may run short if the situation is not resolved. the northern ireland executive votes against proposals to introduce a travel ban between northern ireland and the uk mainland. sir patrick vallance, the uk's chief scientific adviser, suggests that more areas of england will need to go into tier four restrictions to combat the new variant of covid-19. 22 december the uk and france reach an agreement to reopen their border the following day. freight drivers and eu citizens will be among people allowed to travel between the two countries, subject to a recent negative covid test. nhs test and trace staff and the military will also be deployed to help carry out tests. tesco reintroduces a purchasing limit on some items, including eggs, rice, soap and toilet roll to ensure there is not a shortage of the products through panic buying. scientists have said the new variant of covid was spotted in the uk because of the surveillance system in place, but that it may or may not originate outside the uk. ugur sahin, chief executive of biontech, says the vaccine developed by his firm in conjunction with pfizer will work against the new strain. 23 december it is announced that a number of areas in england will move up tiers on boxing day, including more areas being placed in tier 4. uk scientists have detected two cases of a second new strain of covid-19 that is believed to originate from south africa. the uk government consequently suspends all flights from south africa. france reopens its border to the uk, but there is a backlog of freight to clear. france's decision to close the border in the first place is criticised by european commissioner for transport adina valean, who says france went against the eu's recommendations. former prime minister tony blair urges the government to give people a single dose of covid vaccine rather than preserving stocks for a second jab. desmond shawe-taylor, the surveyor of the queen's pictures, and rufus bird, the surveyor of the queen's works of art, have both left their posts with the royal household and will not be replaced "for the time being" due to the impact of covid-19 on royal finances. the uk government announces £1.1m of emergency funding for the radio industry to help create content to tackle loneliness during the covid crisis. 24 december researchers at the london school of hygiene and tropical medicine have suggested schools and universities may need to remain closed after christmas to help control the spread of the new variant of covid, as well as tougher restrictions. figures released by the office for national statistics indicate 1 in 85 people in england has covid, with figures for the week to 18 december estimating that almost 650,000 people had the virus, up from 570,000 the previous week. but ons figures for scotland indicate a fall in cases over the same period, with 37,100 (one in 140) people having the virus in the week to 18 december, a drop from 52,500 (one in 100) in the week up to 11 december. the new variant of covid is believed to be responsible for 38% of new cases in the week up to 18 december. figures for wales indicate a sharp rise in cases, with an estimated 52,200 people with the virus in the week to 18 december, 18,800 more than the preceding week. the christmas eve jingle, a doorstep bell-ringing event, is held at 6pm to help combat loneliness over christmas. a travel ban from south africa comes into force at 9am, prohibiting visitors to the uk from that country following the discovery of a new variant of covid-19. the ban excludes uk and irish nationals arriving in the uk. an outbreak occurs at the largest testing lab in the country, in milton keynes, after previous reports of poor health and safety practices at the lab. 25 december a further 800 military personnel are sent to kent to help clear the backlog of lorries waiting to cross the english channel to france. the number of recorded covid-related deaths in the uk passes 70,000 after a further 570 deaths take the total to 70,195. queen elizabeth ii delivers her christmas message, telling people struggling without friends and family on christmas day that they "are not alone". the united states becomes the latest country to impose travel restrictions on the uk because of the new strain of covid; any passengers going to the us must produce a negative covid test before being allowed to travel. 26 december following a brief relaxation of rules for christmas day, tougher covid restrictions are imposed on large parts of the uk, with more areas of england entering tier four restrictions, level four measures for mainland scotland, and lockdowns for wales and northern ireland. the restrictions mean that many shops are forced to remain closed, something that is expected to have a negative impact on the boxing day sales. in the first trial of its kind held by university college london hospitals, ten people who have been in close contact with a person testing positive for covid-19 have been given antibodies as a form of emergency protection. 27 december speaking to the sunday times, pascal soriot, chief executive of astrazeneca, says they have found a "winning formula" with the oxford/astrazeneca vaccine. sources, including itv news report that the vaccine will be approved for use in the uk within days. the b117 strain of covid, the presence of which was first detected in the uk, has now been identified in a number of other countries, including australia. 28 december a further 41,385 covid cases are recorded in the uk, while officials express concern for the pressure on the health service in england, where 20,426 people are being treated in hospital for the virus. more than 200 british tourists have fled the swiss ski resort of verbier after switzerland imposed a retrospective ten day quarantine backdated to 14 december because of the b117 strain of covid. 29 december a further 53,135 new covid-19 cases are confirmed, the largest daily number so far as the figures catch up with data that went unreported over christmas. margaret keenan, who was the first person in the uk to receive a dose of the pfizer/biontech vaccine, returns to hospital for her follow-up injection, meaning she has completed the vaccination process. 30 december the regulator (mhra) is the first to approve the oxford/astrazeneca vaccine, meaning it is the second vaccine to enter the national rollout. tier four measures are extended to more parts of england from midnight, with the midlands, north east, parts of the north west and south west joining london and the south east in the toughest restrictions. the 2021 new year honours are published, recognising several hundred people for their work during the covid crisis. 31 december a further 55,892 new covid-19 cases are confirmed, the largest daily number so far. as more areas of england enter tier four restrictions, a total of 44 million people are now living under the toughest measures. health secretary matt hancock warns people not to gather for new year's eve celebrations. the british medical association criticises the decision to change the length of time between the first and second shots of covid vaccines from three to twelve weeks. the decision is defended by the uk's chief medial officers, who argue it "is much more preferable" to vaccinate a greater number of people with the first dose, which will give them protection against the virus. analysts say that 2020 has been the worst year for high street retailers for more than 25 years, with 180.000 jobs lost in the sector.