Lockdown restrictions will be partially lifted for Christmas, allowing up to three households to meet in an ‘exclusive bubble’.

The plans are yet to be officially confirmed by government, however, according to major outlets including BBC News and Sky News, it will mean that in the five day period between December 23-27:

• Three households will be able to form an exclusive “bubble” and meet indoors
• Travel restrictions will be also be lifted

Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove on Tuesday afternoon chaired a meeting with the first ministers of the devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to agree the plans.

It is understood there will be some minor changes to the initial plans for each of the nations.

Travel restrictions are also set to be lifted during the same period and some overnight stays will be allowed.

In a briefing on Monday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: “I can’t say that Christmas will be normal this year, but in a period of adversity, time spent with loved ones is even more precious for people of all faiths and we all want some kind of Christmas — we need it.

“But what we don’t want is to throw caution to the winds and allow the virus to flare up again, forcing us all back into lockdown in January.

“This virus is not going to grant a Christmas truce. It doesn’t know Christmas and families will need to make a careful judgement about the risks.”

There have been 209 new coronavirus cases and 24 COVID-related deaths in Greater Lincolnshire on Tuesday.

The government’s COVID-19 dashboard recorded 118 new cases in Lincolnshire, 51 in North Lincolnshire and 40 in North East Lincolnshire.

It also registered 16 deaths in Lincolnshire, four in North Lincolnshire and four in North East Lincolnshire.

These figures include deaths both in and out of hospitals, as well as residents in hospitals outside the county.

NHS England reported nine local hospital deaths on Tuesday. Five were at United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust and four were at Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust. This takes the total number of hospital deaths in the county to 477.

On Tuesday, national cases increased by 11,299 to 1,538,794, while deaths rose by 608 to 55,838.

Lincolnshire COVID-19 deaths up to November 24.

Meanwhile, the number of coronavirus cases at the University of Lincoln has more than halved this week. It currently has 61 coronavirus cases — 58 students and three staff.

Lincolnshire’s health bosses won’t be drawn to guess which tier the county will end up in once the national lockdown ends on December 2. However, they should find out this Thursday.

The man in charge of care homes in Lincolnshire said extra precautions are still needed for visitors, besides twice-weekly rapid testing, as Prime Minister Boris Johnson outlined in his winter plan on Monday.

In national news, new figures show weekly COVID-19 deaths in England and Wales are at the highest level since May.

The transport secretary announced that international visitors will be able to reduce their quarantine time by more than half from December 15, provided they purchase a COVID-19 test after five days.

A five bedroom Georgian house in Stamford with a garden designed by Peta “Bunny” Guinness is on the market with a guide price of £1,750,000.

The property is located on High Street, St. Martins, Stamford. It’s being marketed by Savills, and also has three bathrooms and four reception rooms.

It is one of a reflecting pair of Grade II* listed, mid-18th century houses, which were believed to have been originally constructed for a pair of sisters.

The entrance hallway. | Photo: Savills

The dining room. | Photo: Savills

Contemporary kitchen. | Photo: Savills

The principal bedroom has a Jack & Jill en suite bathroom. | Photo: Savills

Another of the five bedrooms. | Photo: Savills

Peta “Bunny” Guinness, a chartered landscape architect, journalist and radio personality, designed the garden and garage store. She is a regular panellist on the BBC Radio 4’s Gardener’s Question Time.

The property has been renovated to exacting standards over the past nine years, with the reinstatement of many of the Georgian era’s fine features.

The rooms include features such as stone flagged and solid wood floors, period fireplaces, high ceilings and large sash windows with working shutters.

The study. | Photo: Savills

Drawing Room. | Photo: Savills

Garden Room. | Photo: Savills

The garden. | Photo: Savills

Walled garden. | Photo: Savills

Garden Terrace. | Photo: Savills

A glazed garden room extension links from the kitchen to a former cottage within the west facing walled garden. At the end of the garden is a stone garage building which fronts Church Court.

James Abbott, property agent at Savills, said: “This is a beautifully presented home. I really love its elegant flow, along with the contrast between its period grace and features and contemporary layout and furnishing.

“With a linked cottage, parking and garage (for which you would need to select your model) at the end of the attractive garden, my family would be so happy living in this home.”

See the full listing here

Lincoln Cathedral and Castle have been the centre of a nickname frenzy in recent weeks, and Wikipedia has now recognised these alternative names for the city’s landmarks.

Despite many people saying they regularly call Lincoln Cathedral Cathy, when The Lincolnite used the adorable term on Facebook, the nickname has proved controversial with some.

Now, after weeks of speculation about the legitimacy of the Cathy and Cassie nicknames, both now appear at the top of the landmarks’ Wikipedia pages — the most popular encyclopedia on the globe.

The changes appear to have been submitted at the beginning of November and were approved by Wikipedia editors after several upvotes from other users.

Lincoln Cathedral’s Wikipedia front page now reads: “Lincoln Cathedral, Lincoln Minster, or the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Lincoln and sometimes St Mary’s Cathedral, or Cathy in Lincoln, England, is the seat of the Anglican Bishop of Lincoln.”

Even Wikipedia is getting in the habit of calling it Cathy!

Lincoln Castle’s page now says: “Lincoln Castle, or Cassie, is a major Norman castle constructed in Lincoln, England, during the late 11th century by William the Conqueror on the site of a pre-existing Roman fortress.”

The Wikipedia entry for Lincoln Castle.

What do you think? Do you call the cathedral Cathy or do you find it strange?

The number of coronavirus cases at the University of Lincoln has dropped by more than half this week.

The University of Lincoln said on Tuesday, November 24, it now has 61 coronavirus cases — 58 students and three staff.

This comes after coronavirus cases at the university almost doubled last week to 142.

A University of Lincoln spokesperson said: “The number of positive cases confirmed amongst our students and staff is 61 (less than 0.5% of our University population).

“Our dedicated team of staff continue to deliver care packages to any students who require them.

“All students have access to a wide range of academic and professional services to support them and help them make the most of their time here.

“Residential wardens and Lincoln Students’ Union are running on-campus activities and events, where students can still meet up with friends virtually, keep fit and healthy, and develop new skills.”

Eight students at Bishop Grosseteste University are self-isolating due to a positive test result, which is down by nine from last week’s figure.

Five students and one member of staff are self-isolating with suspected symptoms and waiting to be tested or to receive at test result.

Also, 136 students and two members of staff are self-isolating as a precautionary measure because a close contact/member of their household has suspected symptoms or tested positive – see the full data here.

Meanwhile, Lincolnshire County Council said on Monday, November 23 that it was currently working with 127 schools and 10 nurseries with COVID-19 infections.

On Monday, there were 351 new coronavirus cases and 12 COVID-related deaths in Greater Lincolnshire.