Boris Johnson was under growing pressure last night not to impose lockdown restrictions that will ruin Christmas for the second year in a row.
There are curbs to indoor mixing in England, which could be announced as soon as possible by the Prime Minister.
Yesterday, Sajid Javid, Health Secretary refused to exclude Covid measures being in place before Christmas Day.
Tory MPs said last night that any effort to tighten rules prior to Christmas will result in letters seeking to remove Mr Johnson from office.
Ministers said they won’t support any new restrictions. Rishi Sunak, it is believed, is suggesting that restrictions should be planned out in advance. Liz Truss however says she’s uncomfortable with current curbs.
The official Omicron variant confirmed case count rose to nearly 37,000 cases in 24 hours.
Family members are keen to share Christmas with their loved ones after the Covid lockdown last year meant that millions had to either be separated or reduced in size.
While it’s understood that Johnson will not accept restrictions prior to December 25, there are growing fears they might be placed after, ruining millions of New Year plans.
As hospitals struggle to handle rising infections, scientists are asking the Prime Minister for quick restrictions.
As he stated that there were no guarantees Christmas Day would go ahead, Mr. Javid refused to rule out the possibility of imposing strict restrictions prior to Christmas. The Health Secretary acknowledged that data about the Omicron variant remained incomplete – but suggested it might be necessary to make decisions before a full picture is available.
He said, “If data quality is not perfected before you start to use it, it might be too late.”
Following a dire assessment by SAGE, which stated that infections could rise to two million in the next month, the Health Secretary acknowledged that “everything has been reviewed”. He also hinted at the possibility of tougher restrictions such as a ban on household mixing or the closing of any non-essential shops.
You can also find other developments here:
- Nearly one million jabs were administered on Saturday by Mr Javid, who blasted the vaccine refuseniks for taking over hospital beds that could have been used by others.
- The UK recorded 82,886 Covid-19 cases yesterday – up 69 per cent from a week earlier – but the number of deaths fell from 52 to 45;
- Ministers may reduce the period of quarantine for Covid-positive people from 10 to 7 days.
- Germany has effectively banned thousands of Britons from coming to Germany for Christmas, fearing the Omicron variant.
- Nadhim Zhawi Education Secretary called for former teachers and students to join to fill the potential shortages in school personnel
Boris Johnson is under increasing pressure to stop imposing lockdown restrictions which will ruin Christmas 2012 for the second straight year
Asking Mr Javid about the possibility of new coronavirus treatments before Christmas, he said that “there are no guarantees” in this pandemic.
“At the moment we just need to keep everything under control… We are currently assessing. It is very rapid moving. Omicron is still a mystery to us. This is the reality of the matter. It’s not easy to know the truth.
He stated that it was time for more caution and said, “We know this stuff is growing rapidly.”
Experts from the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies published minutes at the weekend. The experts urged government to reintroduce more stringent measures…very soon’. Warning that, if nothing is done, there may be a peak of 3,000 hospital beds in England for each day.
Researchers suggested that the scientists reintroduce curbs, such as banning hospitality and social contact in indoor spaces. The advice from Mr. Javid was “very sobering”, adding that it is something he takes very seriously. It is necessary to question data and assumptions. I believe that this is appropriate and should be done in conjunction with a wider range of facts.
The Health Secretary recommended that people limit Christmas social contact and reduce hugs with family members.
According to Cabinet sources, the mood at Downing Street was described last night by ‘jumpy” officials. According to senior ministers, Johnson is likely to delay enforcing restrictions until after Christmas. However they may be made public within days. To allow MPs to vote, the Prime Minister promised to call back Parliament in December.
Mark Harper, Chairman of the Covid Recovery Group, lockdown-sceptic Tory MPs, asked ministers to “hold firm” against any further restrictions and avoid making any ‘kneejerk restrictions”.
He added that lockdowns should not be the default policy option. Ministers must balance other impacts and not only Covid data.
Sir Iain Duncan Smith, a former Tory leader, said that there is no evidence for Christmas restrictions.
He said, “It would not be right for the Government to plunge into an economic crisis just for the sake of speculation by scientists.”
According to one of the Tory rebel leaders, if Parliament is recalled for voting on new curbs, ‘at minimum as many people that voted against it last time will vote again. More letters will be sent if restrictions are imposed.
Mark Harper (left), chair of the Covid Recovery Group, lockdown-sceptic Tory MPPs, called on ministers not to make any knee-jerk restrictions but to stand firm against additional restrictions. Sir Iain Duncan Smith, a former Tory leader (right), stated that there is no evidence for any restrictions to be introduced before Christmas.
The last Sunday before Christmas shopping, London’s Oxford Street & Regent Street are bustling
Sajid Javid Health Secretary, said in interviews that government should use the “data we have” and that infection rates were rapidly rising.
Britain recorded 82 886 Covid cases. This is less than the yesterday’s number of 90 418. However, the number has increased by 32,473, which is 64.4 percent, over seven days.
Today, 45 people died. This is a drop of 66 compared to last week’s 112 and an increase of 59.5 percent.
And cases of the Omicron variant have risen by 50 per cent in just 24 hours to 37,101 as the UK Health Security Agency confirmed a further 12,133 cases today.
Medical and science chiefs Chris Whitty and Patrick Vallance briefed the Cabinet yesterday that more measures are required to stop hospital admissions soaring above 3,000 per day in England. Modeling shows that the maximum could reach 10,000, and the death rate might rise to 6,000 per day.
Ministers remain hesitant about the possibility of locking up millions and destroying Christmas once again, while there are still many questions.
There are also questions about Johnson’s political capacity to enforce restrictions after the massive rebellion against Plan B last Wednesday and the shocking resignation of Lord Frost, his Brexit minister overnight. These events highlight the danger of ‘coercive policies’.
Tonight’s fast-paced nature of the situation was highlighted as nearly 50% of cases were confirmed, rising to 37,000. Another 12,000 were identified within 24 hours. As many cases go undiagnosed, or are still being tested for, it is believed there may be more.
This morning Mr. Javid seemed to suggest a shift in the air, stating that the SAGE analysis was’sobering’ but the government is prepared to do ‘what is necessary’.
In the Sunday Telegraph, Javid wrote that in his trader career, the most important decisions were made when the data was ‘early’ and ‘patchy’ but there was a trend. He said that once the trend is clear, it could be too late to act.
The SAGE papers from Thursday’s meeting warn that holding back curbs on 2022 would reduce their effectiveness and increase the likelihood that they would not prevent significant pressure on healthcare systems.
Advisors recommended introducing new measures that are ‘equivalent’ to the ones in place following step 2 or 1 of this roadmap in England. In March, one-on-1 mixing was prohibited outside of homes. Non-essential retail was also banned. The second stage was in March, when bars and restaurants were allowed to serve customers outside. However, households weren’t permitted indoor mixing.
Cabinet Office minister Steve Barclay is to chair the Cobra meeting, which will consider the option for a circuit breaker’ lockdown.
However, Mr Johnson seems to be skeptical of an immediate answer and would face opposition from his Cabinet.
Sunday Times quoted a minister as saying: “We don’t want to lock down the winters and destroy the economy. It is time to give up reading about South Africa’s current events. This is similar to comparing apples and pears.
Rumours abound that the “handbrake” would instead be removed after December 25th, with reports that an announcement was made for Boxing Day.
Boris Johnson, despite being urged by scientists to lock down the Christmas festivities in an attempt to stop spread of Omicron’s mutant variant, has refused.
According to figures released by the UKHSA, Omicron cases in England rose 69% over the previous day. They went up from 9,427 to 23,168.
Official data shows that covid hospital admissions in Britain’s Omicron hotspot London have increased by over a third within a week.
Omicron spread fears aside, crowds gathered at East London’s Columbia Road Flower Market this Sunday despite the fact that there are many customers.
SAGE has supported a drastic shutdown of all non-essential stores and a ban on homes mixing in order to prevent a flood of deaths and hospitalisations caused by Omicron running wild.
Minutes indicate that the government’s main advisory body agreed to Thursday that England’s hospitalisations would not exceed 3,000 per day without taking’stringent steps’.
The meeting considered grim modelling by the SPI-M-O team that suggests admissions could reach 10,000 per day with as many as 6,000 deaths daily.
According to the SAGE consensus, earlier interventions would have greater impact and may be for shorter durations. They will also be less effective when they are delayed beyond New Year.
This statement implies that the government will be removing its supposedly ‘irreversible roadmap’ from lockdown and returning to stage 1, 2 or 3, which would mean only retail openings for essential household needs.
SAGE stated that ‘illustrative scenarios from SPI-M-O suggest measures equivalent to those put in place following Step 2 or Step 1 in the Roadmap, England’, if taken early enough (medium certainty).
“It is important to choose the right time for such actions. It would be a mistake to delay these interventions until 2022. This would reduce their effectiveness, and it would make it less likely that they would avoid significant pressure on the health care system.
The slowing of the infection wave would enable more people to get boosters, before being potentially exposed to Omicron. This could prevent, not just delay, some hospitalizations and deaths.
SAGE documents show that Omicron’s threat remains uncertain.
They also cite “high confidence” that the Delta version will spread faster and sweep the country.
Trevor Phillips heard Mr Javid tell him on Sky News Sunday that while we have demonstrated in the past, as Government, our ability to deal with pandemics has been clear. However it must be supported by data.
He said, “We’re watching data closely and discussing it almost hourly with our scientists as well as our top advisors.” We will be monitoring that closely. This will continue to be our monitoring.
According to him, there are many factors that affect our defenses such as vaccinations and antiviral medications.
If Parliament was asked whether it would recall it to allow for approval of new measures to pass, Mr Javid answered: “If the Prime Minister had already made clear to parliamentarians, we would recall Parlament if necessary and that would have to be a Parliament decision. It is right and appropriate.
Also, Mr. Javid launched an attack furiously on those who refuse to vaccinate. He said they should think about what they’re doing to society.
He warned that 10 per cent of the population – more than five million people – have still not received jabs, and around nine out of 10 of those needing the most care in hospital were unvaccinated.
He stated, “I can’t emphasize enough how much they impact the rest of society,”
‘They must really think about the damage they are doing to society by… they take up hospital beds that could have been used for someone with maybe a heart problem, or maybe someone who is waiting for elective surgery.
“But they chose not to get vaccinated, instead of protecting their community and themselves. You are having an extremely negative impact on the community. I cannot stress this enough. Please come forward to get your vaccines.
Johnson has long argued that the NHS can save time by running a quick booster vaccine campaign. The NHS broke the 24-hour record by handing out 830,000 jabs to England in 24 hours. This was a sign of hope.
Senior leaders like Rishi Shahak and Transport Secretary Grant Shapps remain skeptical of any attempts to crack down on corruption.
SAGE advisors told the government that the mixing of household members should stop’very soon” to prevent Omicrons from running amok and sending hospitalsisations at the heights since last Christmas.
Minutes indicate that SAGE, the government’s main advisory body, agreed to Thursday that England’s hospitalizations would not exceed 3,000 per day without taking’stringent steps’.
According to the statement, it is possible to rip up government’s allegedly ‘irreversible” roadmap and return backstage 1 or 2 (pictured), which would mean that only necessary retail openings are allowed. There will not be any mixing of households.
The meeting considered grim modelling by the SPI-M-O team that suggests admissions could reach as high as 10,000 per day, with as many as 6,000 deaths daily
As the rollout intensified, over 830,000 booster jabs in England were delivered yesterday
Omicron Covid cases in South African ground zero ‘peaked on 6 December’ – three weeks after start of wave – but they are still rising in rest of the country
Experts believe that Omicron cases in South Africa ground zero reached their peak on December 6, but they are still increasing in other parts of the country.
Three weeks after the start of the wave, cases of the variant reached their highest level in Gauteng according to expert Louis Rossouw, which was first to feel the full force of the variant.
Experts have been puzzled at the sudden rise and fall Omicron cases from Gauteng, while Covid cases are rising in other parts of South Africa.
Experts also point out data from South Africa that shows Omicron is used to treat milder symptoms.
The variant’s cases reached its highest point in Gauteng three weeks after it began. Gauteng was the first place to experience the full power of the variant. Louis Rossouw has published a paper about the Omicron variant of the Omicron in South Africa.
Pessimistic experts argue, however that the low hospitalisation rates could be due to South Africa’s immune system and youthful population.
A total of 68,181 tests were conducted in the last 24hrs, according to The National Institute For Communicable Diseases Of South Africa (NICD).
It said there were 20,713 new cases, representing a 30.4 per cent positivity rate and an increase of 20% on last week.
A chart showing the Omicron rate in South Africa shows that cases are declining in Gauteng and rising elsewhere.
There were 20,713 new Covid cases in South Africa today, an increase of 20% on last week and with a a 30.4 per cent positivity rate
Louis Rossouw has published a paper about the Omicron variant of the country’s Omicron variant, which reached a high peak of 10,100 cases per day on December 7. This was based on seven-day moving averages.
South Africa has reported another 35 deaths related to Covid-19. This brings the number of fatalities up to 90.297.
Professor Sir Mark Walport admitted that this Christmas could have been a second disaster for many, however he believes new precautions are necessary as the spread of infections is fast.
In a similar vein to Professor Chris Whitty of England’s Chief Medical Officer, he advised that people be prudent in choosing the right social networks for them.
Sky spoke with Sir Mark from the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies.
He said, “Most importantly, allow people to get vaccinated. Give them the opportunity to be boosted and give time for these vaccinations to take effect.”
A Sun newspaper reported that stricter measures might be implemented after Boxing Day. It said that ministers had yet not received the contingency plans.
Sadiq Khan, London’s Mayor, declared a major event due to the surge of cases throughout the capital.
Marr told him that there had to be an extensive package of support for culture, hospitality and retail.
M. Javid, who was speaking out in defense of the government’s recent strategy, stated that it wasn’t quite right to state that they weren’t doing any work at all.
Marr said he understood that businesses are now declaring to be “hard hit” and have every right of making such representations.
“The Chancellor is listening to his staff, and I believe the Chancellor did a great job during this pandemic. He will continue to review things.
The official number of coronavirus cases has risen by 36,345, or 67 per cent, in seven days.
There were predictions however that it would reach six figures.
The death rate dropped by five percent last week to 125, compared with 132 on Saturday.
An “circuit breaker” ban on household mixing is intended to prevent hospitalisations from overwhelming the NHS. Until booster jabs are available to all adults, the government hopes that this will be achieved in January.
Some people criticize the SAGE message by pointing to South African data which indicates that Omicron causes milder symptoms.
According to them, the Omicron waves in Gauteng’s ‘ground-zero’ region were more powerful than the previous waves. Gauteng cases have been falling after rising for the past three weeks.
SAGE advisors argue that South Africa’s low rates of hospitalisations could be due to its high immunity against infection.
Professor of Social Psychology at University of St Andrews, Stephen Reicher said that Plan B alone was not enough to stem the rising number of Omicron cases within the UK and that government must ‘act immediately’.
He said, “Now, you can have it after Christmas. But, after Christmas it’s likely too late. It’s most likely that by then, we’ll have experienced a massive surge in infections and all their effects on society.
The surging statistics came as Professor Neil Ferguson — whose projections have spooked No10 into lockdowns before — called for curbs to be tightened by New Year on the back of his latest modelling of the mutant strain.
According to him, hospitalizations may be overtaken by Christmas because Omicron case numbers will rise during the week and there is a “very large epidemic” underway. He stated that although there is no perfect protection, the large number of cases may result in a large amount of hospitalisations.
The Sage meeting was held on Thursday. Experts endorsed a ban of indoor social contact. Britons are likely to regret hosting New Year’s parties in the future, so they demand that new measures be taken before January 1st.
BBC has seen leaked minutes from Sage which reveal that scientists have told ministers that they need tougher policies’very quickly’.
According to the minutes, “The timing of these measures is important.” The minutes stated that delaying the implementation of these measures to 2022 would reduce their effectiveness, and it would make it more likely that such interventions would be able to prevent substantial pressure from health care and healthcare systems.
A Cobra emergency meeting on Saturday will be held to discuss whether the UK needs a common response to Omicron variant. The meeting will raise fears that more curbs could be imposed before Christmas – despite the opposition of Tory MPs and Downing Street’s apparent determination to get through without them.
The number of Omicron-related confirmed cases in England has risen to 23,168. This is an increase of 9,427 from Saturday’s total. The number of cases in Northern Ireland increased to 827. This is a 514 increase.
Scotland’s cases have reached 792, an increase of 96, and in Wales there are 181, up 22 on the previous day.
This means that there was a 67% increase in the number of cases within 24 hours, as 24,968 total figures were reported by the UKHSA.
According to the UK Health Security Agency, seven people have died in England from Omicron-related causes, up from one.
The number of Omicron patients admitted to hospital in England rose by 85 from 65.
Yesterday, Britain recorded its highest number of daily infections since the pandemic began, with a total of 93,045 people testing positive for Covid in the past 24 hours, up 60 per cent in a week.
Experts in the industry feared that the government’s alarmist messages surrounding Omicron mutant strain were lowering customer confidence during what was supposed to be peak time for bars, restaurants and pubs.
Expect a drop in festive takings of up to 40% for December. These are crippling events that were able to survive the lockdowns before and will not receive financial support.
Prof Reicher spoke to Times Radio personally and said that it was time for the NHS to be protected from the new version.
The announcement comes amid reports that officials were working out draft plans for a 2-week lockdown of circuit-breakers after Christmas.
According to the Financial Times, Boris Johnson received a variety of options under Plan C on Friday. These included’mild guidance’ to “nudge people” and ‘lockdown”.
According to the newspaper, allies of Mr Johnson claimed that Johnson wanted to continue down the guidance path but had to also be realistic regarding the Omicron threat.
The Times reports that draft regulations had been prepared that would prohibit people from meeting indoors, except for for work purposes. Pubs and restaurants will be restricted to outside service for the two week period following Christmas.
Yesterday, Professor Ferguson said to the BBC that Omicron does not appear to have a greater severity than Alpha and Delta variants.
“The severity aspect of the illness is most difficult to define because we have seen very few hospitalizations,” he said. Low case numbers. The severity of the cases is not significantly different from Delta.
“That doesn’t mean it will look exactly like the Alpha wave that we experienced a year back, but we expect everyone with immunity to have milder diseases.
“But Omicron is not fundamentally different from Delta. We are still in uncertainty, so it will be a while before we know more. The numbers of hospitalisations and cases are increasing quickly.
The Shames York is packed with shoppers on Saturday, the last day of Christmas shopping. There are fears about Omicron variant cases rising rapidly.
Britons will have 85 to 90 percent protection against serious illnesses if they are vaccinated with Covid or two vaccines.
“From a public health standpoint, it means that we expect the immunity people have built over the past 12 months to be more protected against serious disease than infection. Omicron is not recommended for people who have been previously infected or received only two doses.
“But, the protection against severe illness should not be compromised. Perhaps 85-90 percent protection. With a large-scale epidemic, the challenge is that even this level of protection isn’t perfect. Large numbers could still lead to very high hospitalisations.
According to him, the UK is at high risk of overtaking the NHS. With increasing data flows, it is becoming increasingly difficult to keep up with the demands of our healthcare system. This is an alarming sign that we are moving into an area where the behavior of the health system could be affected. Changes in behavior are occurring, and it will impact the health service’s behaviour. It is difficult to tell if enough.
Rishi Sunak is seen arriving in London at Heathrow Airport, where he will be meeting furious hotel bosses who have been struggling to cope with the plummeting demands due the Omicron mutant strain.