Despite the threat of COVID-19, many people are still hoping for a family Christmas. But even if you can visit family, does it mean you should? We asked three health experts what they thought. For Lena Ciric, going home isn’t worth the risk. Socialising al fresco in winter is a non-starter and social distancing indoors will be difficult – especially after a few drinks. Andrew Lee agrees. Homes are a high-risk settings where if someone is infected, everyone else has a 20% chance of catching the virus. An infected person at a large family gathering is very likely to pass the virus on.

But as Danny Dorling argues, perhaps this isn’t our decision to make. Older family members are at a significantly higher risk than everyone else, and their views should carry more weight. For some, the chance to see loved ones will be worth the risk. For others, taking a chance when a vaccine is on the horizon is foolhardy. Both opinions should be respected, he says.

One way for governments to help meet the costs of the pandemic would be to raise taxes on the wealthy. New research suggests major tax cuts for the rich over the past 50 years have pushed up inequality without significantly improving economic growth or unemployment. This makes it harder to argue that increasing these taxes will harm the underlying economy and builds the case for tax rises to relieve current economic pressures.

We’re also marking the 250th anniversary of the birth of Ludvig van Beethoven. Karol J Borowiecki links the great composer’s creativity to his changing moods, while Aakanksha Virkar Yates explores how his music embodies the Enlightenment philosophy of freedom.

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