BORIS JOHNSON HAS urged people to “exercise extreme caution” as they celebrate Christmas amid fears about the spread of coronavirus.

The planned relaxation of social distancing rules across the UK is expected to go ahead despite warnings about the possible impact on efforts to control the virus.

Under the festive bubble rules, up to three households will be allowed to mix between December 23 and 27.

Talks involving the UK Government and leaders of the devolved administration are understood to have agreed to continue with the plan, but with a stronger message warning people of the dangers.

At Prime Minister’s Questions, Johnson said it was right to “stress the importance of people taking care this Christmas”, particularly due to the risk of asymptomatic transmission of coronavirus.

He told MPs: “We should exercise extreme caution in the way we celebrate Christmas.

“We can celebrate it sensibly but we have to be extremely cautious in the way we behave.”

Yesterday, in a rare joint editorial, the British Medical Journal and Health Service Journal called for the “rash” decision to relax social distancing measures over the festive period to be scrapped.

They said that the UK government “is about to blunder into another major error that will cost many lives”.