British officials drawing up plans for two-week post-Christmas lockdown over Omicron threat
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British officials are drawing up plans for a two-week circuit breaker lockdown after Christmas which would include a ban on indoor mixing, according to reports.
Draft regulations are being prepared which would ban meeting others indoors except for work purposes, and that pubs and restaurants would be limited to outdoor service only, according to The Times.
The Financial Times reported that Boris Johnson has been presented with a number of options under a so-called Plan C, ranging from “mild guidance to nudge people, right through to lockdown”.
The newspaper quoted allies of the prime minister who claimed he wanted to go down the guidance route, but that he had to be realistic about the threat of Omicron.
Leaked minutes from the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage), seen by the BBC, reportedly said scientists had told ministers that tougher measures need to be brought in “very soon”.
Advisers have apparently recommended moving to restrictions seen in step one and two of the easing of lockdown in the spring. This included a ban on indoor mixing and indoor hospitality.
It comes a further 93,045 lab-confirmed COVID-19 cases were recorded in the UK as of 9am on Friday, the highest daily total recorded since the pandemic began and a rise of 4,669 on the previous record set on Thursday.
The number of people in hospital with COVID in London, which has seen some of the biggest rises in cases in the last seven days, has climbed to 1,534, up 28.6% on last week.
Photo – A woman passes Christmas decorations at Covent Garden in London, Britain. EPA-EFE/NEIL HALL
