(Bloomberg) --

Christmas family gatherings in Britain will be able to go ahead as normal and there is no evidence to suggest extra virus restrictions will be needed, Boris Johnson’s government said.

“The plan is looking solid,” Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi, who was previously the government’s coronavirus vaccines chief, told LBC radio on Monday. Asked if people could host big Christmas dinners and have their families around, Zahawi said: “Yeah, indeed.”

The government is banking on a vaccine booster program and light-touch social restrictions to keep a lid on the pandemic, even as other parts of Europe impose fresh lockdown measures as cases surge. The U.K. has seen recorded a high caseload since the summer, but minister regard the pressure on the National Health Service as sustainable.

From Monday, all adults over the age of 40 can book a booster vaccination.

“That’s how we’re going to make sure we have a really good Christmas,” Zahawi said. “It’s still important to not be complacent.”

©2021 Bloomberg L.P.