| Good evening There was much schadenfreude appearing on social media over the weekend at the changes to the tiering system in the South of England. It began before Boris Johnson had even finished telling the country that our Christmas plans were being changed and that in London and the South East, there would be NO mixing of households at all over the festive period, not even for the one day granted to the rest of us.
The news was greeted with glee for some people in the North, given that most of us up here have been under very strict restrictions since September.
But forget about the North/South divide. This last minute news means that many lonely people will not be able to reach out to family and friends even for one day at a time of year which can be difficult for many.
There is good reason for making the changes: the new strain of the virus is so infectious that no chances can be taken by allowing people to mix. So we need to cling on to the hope that this is just for one year and to help keep us all safe. And not be joyful over other people’s misery. As always, stay safe Gillian Looking for a useful, last-minute gift for that hard-to-buy-for friend or family member? Keep them in the know throughout 2021 with a year-long gift subscription to lep.co.uk - and get 20 per cent off now! Just click the following link and use the promo code CHRISTGIFT20 https://bit.ly/LEPgift Here are some of today's top stories ... | 
