Live updates as Health Secretary confirms no Covid restrictions will be put in place before New Year
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Sajid Javid said “people should remain cautious” and urged those marking the start of 2022 to consider testing themselves beforehand and to celebrate outside, with the Omicron variant growing so fast that it accounts for 90% of all new Covid-19 cases.
The decision not to impose restrictions beyond the Plan B measures already in place in England comes after Prime Minister Boris Johnson was briefed on the impact Christmas mixing had had on coronavirus infections and hospital admissions.
Follow the live blog for the latest:
Health Secretary confirms no new restrictions will be introduced today
Key Events
- Health Secretary confirms no new restrictions will be introduced today
- Boris Johnson to be talked through the latest data by chief medical officer for England Professor Chris Whitty and Sir Patrick Vallance, the chief scientific adviser
- Conservative MPs have urged caution in going beyond Plan B in England
- The comments come as curbs on hospitality and large events were brought in for those in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
- England is currently under the UK Government’s Plan B rulebook, with guidance to work from home, mask wearing in shops and other public settings, and Covid passes to gain entry to large events
Further 98,515 lab-confirmed Covid-19 cases confirmed in UK
A further 98,515 lab-confirmed Covid-19 cases have been recorded in the UK as of 9am on Monday, the Government said. All were reported in England.
On Christmas Day 113,628 cases were recorded in England with a further 108,893 recorded on Boxing Day – 103,558 in England and 5,335 in Wales.
The Government said a further 143 people had died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19.
The 143 deaths reported on January 27 is the sum of the deaths which would have been reported in England between December 25 and 27.
Three deaths were also reported in Wales on Boxing Day and were not included in Monday’s total.
The data published on January 27 is incomplete due to holidays and does not include any data for Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Separate figures published by the Office for National Statistics show there have now been 173,000 deaths registered in the UK where Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate.
How are Covid restrictions different across the UK moving into the new year?
Health Secretary Sajid Javid has said no further coronavirus restrictions will be introduced in England before the new year but “people should remain cautious”.
It means the rules in England are different to those in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
– What is happening in England?
On Monday, it was announced that no further coronavirus restrictions would be imposed in England until the new year, meaning the country has the most relaxed rules in the UK.
However, Covid passes for entry into nightclubs and other venues have been in place as of December 15.
This applies to indoor events with 500 or more attendees where people are likely to stand or move around, such as music venues, certain outdoor events, such as music festivals, and any events with 10,000 or more attendees.
Face coverings have also been made compulsory in most indoor public settings, as well as on public transport, and people have been told to work from home if they can.
If a person in England has tested positive or has symptoms, they can stop self-isolating after seven days instead of 10 days if they receive two negative lateral flow test results on days six and seven.
Those who are unvaccinated close contacts of positive cases must still isolate for 10 days.
England’s guidance is that people should work from home if they can. Anyone who cannot work from home should continue to go in to work – but is encouraged to consider taking lateral flow tests regularly.
– What are the rules in Wales?
Groups of no more than six people will be allowed to meet in pubs, cinemas and restaurants in Wales.
Licensed premises will have to offer table service only, face masks will have to be worn and contact tracing details collected and two-metre social distancing rules are in place.
Sporting events will be played behind closed doors to help control the spread of the new Omicron variant.
Nightclubs have also been closed from Boxing Day under the new rules.
Regulations will also be changed to include a requirement to work from home wherever possible.
A maximum of 30 people can attend indoor events and a maximum of 50 people at outdoor events.
People attending weddings or civil partnership receptions or wakes are also being told to take a lateral flow test before attending.
– What’s the situation in Scotland?
Events will have one-metre social distancing and will be limited to 100 people standing indoors, 200 people sitting indoors and 500 people outdoors.
One-metre physical distancing is in place in all indoor hospitality and leisure settings.
Table service is also required where alcohol is being served.
Since December 14, people have been asked to reduce their social contact as much as possible by meeting in groups of no more than three households.
Allowing staff to work from home where possible has become a legal duty on employers.
Care home visits have also been limited to two households.
– What is Northern Ireland doing?
Nightclubs will be closed on New Year’s Eve.
Dancing will also be prohibited in hospitality venues, but this will not apply to weddings.
People must remain seated for table service, while table numbers will be limited to six.
Ministers also agreed that sporting events can continue with no limits on capacity, while the work-from-home message is being bolstered and legislation introduced to require social distancing in offices and similar type workplaces.
Weddings are exempted from the latest measures.
From December 27, the guidance is for mixing in a domestic setting to be limited to three households.