Boris Johnson to hold emergency Cabinet meeting today over Omicron fears

Boris Johnson is set to meet with his top team at 2pm today to discuss plans to curb the spread of the Omicron variant
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Boris Johnson will hold an emergency Cabinet meeting this afternoon (20 December) to discuss plans to control the Omicron variant.

The Prime Minister is set to meet with his top team at 2pm today in light of the rapidly surging coronavirus cases across the UK.

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The latest data released on Sunday (19 December) shows that confirmed cases of the Omicron variant have increased by more than 12,000 in the UK, with cases in London alone topping 10,000.

Boris Johnson is set to meet with his top team at 2pm today (Photo: JPIMedia)Boris Johnson is set to meet with his top team at 2pm today (Photo: JPIMedia)
Boris Johnson is set to meet with his top team at 2pm today (Photo: JPIMedia)

What could be announced?

Reports suggest Mr Johnson is considering implementing a two-week circuit breaker lockdown just after Christmas to curb the spread.

It is thought that an announcement has been pencilled in for Boxing Day, with the new measures set to come into place on 27 or 28 December, according to the Sunday Times.

The Telegraph has also reported that Mr Johnson has been presented with three possible options to tackle the Omicron spread, each varying in severity.

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Option one would see families in England asked to limit the number of people they meet indoors over the festive period, without legal enforcement.

The second option would mandate restrictions on household mixing, as well as see the return of social distancing and an 8pm curfew on pubs and restaurants.

Option three would be the strictest of all and would see a full lockdown put in place.

However, around one third of the Cabinet are said to be reluctant to support calls from scientific advisers for new restrictions, including Mr Johnson and Chancellor Rishi Sunak, according to The Times.

People urged to be cautious

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Health Secretary Sajid Javid has warned that new Covid-19 measures before Christmas have not been ruled out.

A “sobering analysis” of the situation from scientific advisers has meant there will be “no guarantees” of a restriction-free Christmas, but it is not yet clear how strict measures could be.

The looming possibility of tougher rules comes despite the acceleration of the booster vaccination programme, with experts saying the uptake in jabs would not help in terms of hospital admissions in the near future, as many would be people who are infected before immunity has had time to build.

A record 830,403 boosters were given in England on Saturday (18 December), but a rate of around one million a day is needed if every adult is to be offered a top-up jab by the end of the year.

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The Omicron variant now accounts for around 80% of infections in London, according to Mr Javid, and about 60% in England.

He said that now is the “time to be more cautious” and stressed there is still “a lot of uncertainty”.

Speaking on the Andrew Marr Show on BBC One, he said: “There are no guarantees in this pandemic, I don’t think.

“At this point we just have to keep everything under review.”

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