Plans to allow families to reunite over Christmas will be thrashed out by the Government today.

A Cobra meeting between all four UK governments will be held on this afternoon to agree on a four-nation approach to relaxing coronavirus restrictions over the festive period.

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WHEN IS A DECISION DUE - AND WHAT IS THE LATEST ON TRAVELLING HOME?

Well, apparently Thursday.

Speaking earlier today, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said the nations were "very close" to coming to a joint agreement.

He also urged people to “look very carefully” at how they will go home for Christmas – and even consider not travelling.

“We have got to understand there are limitations to the (train) network caused by, for example, things like the need on some trains to pre-book tickets at this time, in order to prevent overcrowding,” he told the BBC.

“So we are going to be appealing to people to look very carefully at the transport route they take and of course even making a choice about whether they travel at all.”

WHAT NEW RULES WERE ANNOUNCED YESTERDAY?

In England, the Government has already announced new tiered restrictions which will come into effect on December 2 and could last until the end of March – apart from any Christmas relaxation.

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Health Secretary Matt Hancock said he hoped the roll-out of a vaccine would signal that life could go back to “normal” by Easter, on April 4 2021.

He also suggested that some habits encouraged during the pandemic, such as regular hand-washing, would continue.

Mr Hancock told a joint session of the Health and Social Care Committee and Science and Technology Committee that the “damaging social distancing interventions” could be lifted after Easter.

On Thursday, people in England will find out which tier they are being placed in once the lockdown ends.

More regions than before the lockdown are expected to face Tier 2 or Tier 3 restrictions, banning simple acts such as popping to the pub for a pint of beer or a glass of wine.

In Tier 2, alcohol can only be consumed with a “substantial meal” while in Tier 3 pubs and restaurants will only be able to offer takeaway or delivery services.

Dr Mike Tildesley, a member of the Scientific Pandemic Influenza Group on Modelling (SPI-M) which advises the Government, said he expected a lot of areas of England to emerge from lockdown into the highest tier as it was the best way of reducing the R value – the reproduction rate of the virus – to below one.

He told BBC Breakfast: “It may be initially we might see slightly more severe tiers but then when we start to see the effect of the lockdown, one to two weeks after the lockdown finishes on December 2, we might see some regions stepwise dropping down the tiers.”

What are the leaders saying?

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has acknowledged the risks involved in a Christmas relaxation, saying it is the “season to be jolly careful”, but is determined to give families the chance to meet up at the end of a grim year.

Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said there could be a “slight and careful” easing of the rules for a few days while Welsh Health Minister Vaughan Gething has suggested tough measures to control the virus before Christmas could allow “more headroom for the festive season”.