Boris Johnson refused to hear pleas that Covid be isolated for five days. He warned it would make staff shortages more severe.
There have been calls for the UK not to follow the US and reduce the time period to prevent the UK’s economy from being directly affected by the absence of key services.
But, the PM said that dropping below seven days can have the “perverse” effect of speeding up the spread. Because three times as many people are still infectious after returning to work, it would be impossible for the number to drop below 7.
Today, Johnson visited Stoke Mandeville’s vaccination center and urged everyone to “stick to Plan B” while pointing out that Omicron is “plainly milder”.
He warned that there will be a lot of pressure on the health system for several weeks, and suggested staff would be moved to fill in any gaps.
When asked about the possibility of relaxing isolation rules, which are already reduced to 10 days if people fail lateral flow tests day 6 and 7, Mr Johnson replied: “We will continue to examine the infectivity period. But the important thing is that we don’t want people being released back into work when they’re still infectious.
“And you run the risk of increasing the number of infectious people returning to the workplace by three.” You could perversely have an adverse effect on the workforce, if that’s what you mean. That’s why we are looking into it.
Johnson declared that the only way for the country to go forward is to maintain the current path. All things will be under review.
“I think the combination of all the activities we do at the moment is, in my opinion, the right one.”
‘So, number one, continue with Plan B, make sure that people take it seriously, do what we can to stop the spread, use the Plan B measures, work from home if you can, wear a mask on public transport… take a test before going out to meet people you don’t normally meet, think about the the requirements under Plan B, but also get the boost.’
He stated that he believed there was a need to recognize the fact that pressures on the NHS and hospitals will be significant over the coming weeks.
There are other exciting developments in Covid today
- Due to shortages of staff, bin collection were cancelled in Manchester, Essex and Somerset.
- Figures show that in the last few days, there has been a doubled number of NHS workers who are staying home for Covid purposes.
- Officials at the local council stated that they had to transfer staff among services in order to maintain a smooth operation.
- A brighter sign was the Fuller’s pub’s announcement that London’s absence rates had improved and were now at their lowest point.
- Because of the absences of teachers, Mr Zahawi suggested that whole classes could be split into more groups. coronavirus
- It has been shown that fewer Covid patients are using ventilation in hospitals than during previous pandemics.
Boris Johnson encouraged people today to stick to Plan B during a Stoke Mandeville visit. He stressed the fact that Omicron is “plainly milder”
As the Omicron wave continues to threaten public transport and services, there are growing fears of default lockdown.
There is a danger that the New Year’s work return will be a mess. The public sector was warned to prepare for worst case scenario where 25% of employees – approximately 1.4million people-, are not at work.
According to official statistics, one in ten NHS workers were absent on New Year’s Eve. However, only 50,000 of 110,000 employees had coronavirus.
United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust has reported a “critical incident” related to an “extreme and unprecedented staff shortage”.
Nearly a third of rail services have been axed at some stations in recent days, after as many as one in ten staff called in sick with illnesses including Covid – while major engineering works on key commuter routes are scheduled to continue until midway through next week.
To keep things running, councils in the UK have to redistribute their staff among essential services.
Schools are being encouraged to create contingency plans in order to handle staff absences upon their return from Christmas vacations this week.
Bullish ministers however today insist that cases seem to be “plateauing” in key hotspots and recommended the NHS be able handle staffing issues.
Nadhim Zahawi, Education Secretary, insisted that the “pattern” of the mutant strain wasn’t the same as Delta. Patients who use a ventilator are less likely to need one and stay in the hospital longer.
He spoke out in a series of interviews and highlighted some of the “really good” signs regarding London’s infection rate.
The UK recorded 137,583 new Covid infections yesterday, a week-on-week increase of 14.7 per cent – a slower rate of growth than preceding days, but not including an update from Scotland.
Scots were warned by the Scots that it could be too early to plan large parties south of the border. This is in contrast to mood music from South Africa. It could also be a warning that Nicola Sturgeon could extend her stricter Covid rules for several months.
On Wednesday, ministers in England will examine the restrictions and increase their confidence in the fact that they will not tighten any further.
Recent figures show that growth in Covid hospitalisations, which is considered a good indicator of future events in the rest the country, slowed over the New Year. Holiday reporting issues could also have had an impact on the numbers.
On December 31, there were 319 people admitted to London’s hospitals. This is an increase of 14 percent over the previous week and 450 patients on December 30, which represents a 15% rise in patient admissions week-on-week.
Although the holiday effect might be keeping the numbers down, it is still a significant increase over the previous days that had a 32% increase in admissions from December 29 through 511.
Boris Johnson made a visit to Stoke Mandeville Stadium, Aylesbury, today for a vaccine hub
LONDON: Cases in the capital have been plateauing recently although holiday reporting glitched could be to blame. Grey bars represent incomplete data.
Nadhim Zhawi, in a series of interviews today, highlighted the “really positive” signs that London’s infection rate seems to be lowering.
The M1 and A41 routes into London looked quieter than usual this morning, although it is a Bank Holiday
BBC Breakfast’s Mr Zahawi stated that Plan B’s measures will be reviewed on Wednesday. He added, however: “There is no data in my database that makes me feel that we should go further than we are.”
London has some great data. It seems like infection rates have slowed down, but not quite. We are still seeing infections in the 50-plus population, but it is the latter who suffer from the most severe and often hospitalizations.
Sky News’ minister stated that the number of coronavirus-infected patients has been on the rise among over-50s. This is something we worry about. However, overall the ICU population has declined which is a good thing.
“On the whole, we don’t see the same patterns as Delta. We had more people ventilated and people in ICU for a longer time.
“And those being admitted with Covid rather than for Covid is about a third.”
According to Mr Zahawi, the NHS has an ‘infrastructure to enable staff to be deployed to cover gaps in service provision. He said that the NHS was very adept at moving staff within its system. They have the infrastructure necessary to accomplish this. Now, we have 10,000 extra nurses and 3000 more doctors working for the NHS than what was available last year.
“But the NHS does a great job of monitoring and managing staff shortages. This has been done for many years during winter, when large flu outbreaks have occurred.
Public services are struggling to cope with this weekend’s announcements by councils in Manchester and Essex, Somerset, and Buckinghamshire. They also announced a reduction or complete suspension of waste collection services as their staff numbers have been slashed because they were positive for Covid and isolated.
Chelmsford City Council cancelled food waste collection for three days after 23 staff members were called sick. North Somerset did not collect 1,000 bins.
The ministers in England held firm, but the Scottish national clinical director suggested that the ban against large gatherings at high Covid rates could be extended well into spring.
Pub, restaurant and nightclub bosses believe firms in Edinburgh missed out on around £20million on Hogmanay due to coronavirus measures.
Jason Leitch, however, declined requests for the New Year Street Party to be moved to April. He said it might be too early to host mass events.
He made these comments as many hospitality companies continue to struggle with Ms Sturgeon’s restrictions. These restricts mean that pubs and restaurants can only serve table service and must be separated by one meter.
Nightclubs were closed on December 27 for at least three weeks, and officials have been warned that some hospitality businesses currently closed will never reopen.
Another 137583 Covid cases have been reported since yesterday. Meanwhile, figures from New Year’s Day show a 33.4% increase in cases week over week.
This was the 12th straight day when cases were above 100,000 as the country gets out of festive season. However, although the weekly increase in new cases is as high as 72.5 percent each week, these numbers are influenced by holiday lags.
Yesterday’s Covid statistics for Scotland weren’t available, and Sunday updates aren’t made to hospitalisations.
This comes after official statistics revealed that almost one in ten NHS workers fell ill over the New Year’s Eve holiday as coronavirus continued its assault on the healthcare system.
Meanwhile, secondary school pupils will be told to wear face masks from the moment they arrive until they leave when they return to classrooms this week.
In an effort to protect the education of millions of youngsters amid a sharp rise in cases of the Omicron variant, Ministers have requested that pupils cover their faces all day – including while they are being taught. They are already asked to wear masks in communal areas.
Mr Zahawi said he and Boris Johnson saw schools as their ‘No 1 priority’, adding that they wanted to ‘do everything in our power to minimise disruption’.
Pub, restaurant and nightclub bosses believe firms in Edinburgh missed out on around £20 million on Hogmanay due to coronavirus measures. Jason Leitch, national clinical director (L), rejected calls to reschedule the New Year’s street party for April. This means that restrictions imposed by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon are expected to continue until spring.
Robert Halfon from the Tory Chair of the Commons Education select committee expressed concern about the masks news. He stated that he worried the move would cause harm to children’s mental well-being.
However, Wes Streeting (shadow health secretary) said that he’d rather see face coverings in schools than kids at home.
Following the Christmas recess the Commons is due to see MPs return on Wednesday. On the same day, the Government will review Plan B.
Although the regulations will not expire before January 26, Downing Street stated that they would be reviewed three weeks following their implementation.
Scots could face an extended “fun-ban” when Professor Leitch suggested that the planned rescheduling Edinburgh’s Hogmanay new year’s celebration to April might be a little too soon.
He stated that he enjoyed an Edinburgh night out as much as any other person. The jury is out on whether we could bring it forward to April.
“We have high hopes. Data from South Africa and University College London as well as data from Denmark, Edinburgh, and Edinburgh suggest that serious diseases are less common with this variant. It could be as low as one-quarter of the cases. But let’s put that in perspective – 2,500 Delta cases [per day]Allows you to have up to 50 persons in hospital
“You will need to have 10,000 Omicron admissions, and Scotland has at 15,000.” Omicron seems more encouraging than Delta. But Delta is a very low bar.
Gavin Stevenson, vice-chairman of the Night Time Industries Association in Scotland, claimed there had been an 80 per cent drop in footfall on Hogmanay, which may have cost the sector £20million.
The Sunday Mail was informed by him that “Hogmanay” has proved to be a very difficult time for the license trade. Hogmanay is a night that I estimate has caused the hospitality industry to lose tens or millions of pounds.
“It could be the last nail in small business’s coffin.”
After allegedly seeing ‘dancing’, a group of Glaswegian police officers stormed a Glaswegian bar on New Years Eve.
As 25 police officers stormed Glasgow’s Avant Garde restaurant, two people were arrested. The raid was on a venue that hosted a New Year’s Eve celebration for the socially disengaged.
Billy Tetmichalis from a Bar, aged 63, intends to lodge a formal complaint with the police.
Police Scotland stated that the police officer visited as part of a routine visit and did not intend to enforce Covid restrictions.
After arriving to stop a New Years Eve celebration in Glasgow’s centre, police officers approached a man at a Glasgow bar and put him in a lock.
MailOnline was informed by the owners that they were unable to provide proof of compliance with licensing conditions. Enforcement action was initiated.
MailOnline officers visited Mr Tetmichalis’ bar in King’s Street Glasgow because they noticed a few people dancing and being served.
“We have complied with all measures. It was table service. Some people moved to the bar while we were still serving them. We didn’t stop because they were all safe.
“This venue holds 306 persons and tickets were stopped at 80. This was to ensure that everyone had sufficient space.
“Some people arrived at the bar, and we didn’t stop them. If that means that it makes us liable, then so be it.
On Wednesday, Ms. Sturgeon will update the Scottish Parliament regarding the restrictions.
Jackie Baillie from the Scottish Labour health department stated that every restriction results in reduced revenue for those businesses who are already trying to survive.
“The Scottish government must make sure that everyone who is eligible receives support.”
Fears for face-to-face teaching are growing: A lack of school staff could lead to a return to online classes. Masks can make a class comeback
- Nadhim Zahawi stated that face-to-face instruction might be impossible for schools.
- The Omicron variant could cause teacher shortages or mass staff shortages
- The Department for Education announced that Secondary School pupils in secondary schools will be required to wear masks inside classrooms, and they must also take a test once a week.
According to the Education Secretary, whole classes might need to be mixed into large groups or taken home to do remote work because coronavirus has left out their teachers.
Nadhim Zahawi said that schools may not be able to provide face-to-face education to all students because of the Omicron variation, which leads to massive staff shortages.
The Department for Education announced that pupils in secondary schools will be required to use masks when entering classrooms, and they must also test their skills twice per week upon returning.
Yesterday, Zahawi sent an open letter to schools. He stated that remote learning “should not be considered a long-term solution” and suggested schools “should resume full-time attendance for all students as soon as possible.”
He said, “If you face operational difficulties due to shortages of workforce in your environment make it impossible to deliver face-to-face instruction, I encourage you to think about ways to adapt to learn.”
The schools could use all of their staff to provide on-site support for some students, while the school’s can handle other aspects such as delivering provision remotely or on-site. But, he said that these arrangements are temporary.
He said, “If you face operational difficulties due to shortages of workforce in your environment make it impossible to deliver face-to-face instruction, I encourage you to think about ways to adapt to learn.”
The schools could use all of their staff to provide on-site support for some students, while the school’s can provide flexible provision. But, he said that such arrangements are temporary.
Other options than sending the children home for learning remotely include hiring supply staff, combining classes and creating larger classes.
Last month’s absence rate of less than 3 percent was recorded. But worries are growing that numbers could rise sharply – with one of Britain’s largest academy trusts saying it had experienced staff absence levels of 10 per cent.
The unions predicted that disruption would be a part of the new term.
There has been a lot of criticism directed at the Government for reintroducing face masks. Critics have called it a declaration of war on children (file image).
It has come under fire from critics for its decision to reinstate face masks.
Teachers and unions generally supported the decision, insisting it was better than remote learning.
Boris Johnson, August 2020 called the idea of masks being worn in schools ‘nonsensical. The recommendation was made for two months in March, and it will be reinstated at the beginning of next term.
Geoff Barton is the general secretary of Association of School and College Leaders. He stated that “Face covers are recommended in communal areas to pupils in years 7 and higher.”
“We are confident that pupils will be comfortable using them again and schools and colleges can easily reintroduce the use of facial coverings to classrooms.”
Dr Mary Bousted is the joint general secretary for National Education Union (NEU). She said it was unlikely that masks would have any’significant effect on mental health’ of pupils.
She said that mask-wearing is common in secondary schools across Scotland and Wales, but it’s not a major problem. The founder of Oasis Community Learning academy trust, Rev Steve Chalke said that although it wasn’t ideal, wearing masks in schools was better than doing so at home.
Sky News interviewed him and said: “We don’t have the money to pay for lost school days. We know from media reports that children left alone are not only bad for them but also for society.
Robert Halfon from the Tory party, who chairs the Commons education Committee, said that the Government should’state the evidence’ in Parliament to justify the decision.
“Masks aren’t required at restaurants or offices, so why do we ask young children to wear them?” He stated that he agreed.
And Us For Them was founded by parents who have fought to stop schools closing during pandemics. It said that it is ‘dumbfounded” by this decision.
“Kids should not be treated as political pawns.” The group stated that this is “a declaration of war on children”.
To improve air quality in schools and colleges, approximately 7,000 air-cleaning units were also promised. The announcement also stated that staff and pupils are encouraged to perform self-tests at home prior to returning and begin testing two-weekly at school.
The Department for Education stated that schools and colleges could obtain testing through a different supply route, and that they would have access to more if needed.
According to a Government spokesperson, masks and other methods will help’maximize the number of students in school’ over the’maximum time frame’.