You should only spend a maximum of 15 minutes in stores when Christmas shopping - here’s why

Shoppers are being urged to avoid spending more than 15 minutes doing their Christmas shopping in person by a professor on the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE), which advises the government on its Covid-19 restrictions.

SAGE professor Lucy Yardley states that the less time spent in a shop, “the safer you are.”

Her comments come ahead of the end of England’s second national lockdown. Across the UK, non-essential shops will be open to the public as the festive season gets underway.

‘Potentially infectious contact’

Speaking on Times Radio, Yardley said, “The rule that is used for contact tracing is that if you spend 15 minutes with somebody closer than two metres then you have definitely had a potentially infectious contact with them.

“That is quite a generous amount of time.