British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced new Covid restrictions aimed at curbing the spread of the new Omicron variant, including the return of work from home advice and introducing coronavirus passes in certain settings.
From December 13, everyone across England who can work from home should do it, Johnson said at a televised press conference on Wednesday evening. He acknowledged that “it will be hard for many people” to make the change.
As of Friday, wearing masks will become mandatory once again for most public venues, including theaters, with Covid passes required for entry into nightclubs and large venues from next week. However, face masks will not be necessary while “eating, drinking, exercising or singing,” the prime minister noted.
The Covid pass showing a person’s vaccine status will be required for patrons to enter unseated indoor venues with more than 500 people, unseated outdoor venues with more than 4,000 people, and any venue with more than 10,000 people.
The NHS Covid pass is available for those who have received two doses but that matter will be kept under review, Johnson said, as the booster program is being rolled out.
The PM said that while it can’t be assumed yet that Omicron is less severe than previous Covid variants, its quick spread to date might result in increasing numbers of hospitalizations and deaths. Therefore, he said, “now it is proportionate and the responsible thing to move to Plan B in England,” while continuing to work closely with the devolved authorities in Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.
“It is not a lockdown,” Johnson added, noting that the Plan B measures would be further reviewed “no later” than early January and possibly before.
The Chief Medical Officer for England, Chris Whitty, told the press briefing that while there is still a lot of uncertainty around the new variant, it presents a different risk to the Delta strain and there’s a “reasonable chance” of some degree of “vaccine escape” by Omicron.
The total number of Omicron cases in the UK amounted to 568 as of Wednesday, including 131 recorded in the last 24 hours.
It is all familiar to Brits, who may feel a sense of deja vu from earlier pandemic ‘waves’.
Work from home
Those who can work from home should do so as of next week, Johnson announced in a Wednesday evening press conference, while admitting it would be “hard” for many people to make the shift. The switch back to remote working starts on December 13 and is far from the first time people in England have been asked to stay home during the workday.
Mask mandates
Masks will once again be required for entering most public venues, with seemingly-obvious exemptions for individuals who are “eating, drinking, exercising or singing.”
Covid pass
Beyond mask mandates, Covid passports will also become a requirement for anyone seeking to enter a nightclub or other theater-type venue beyond a certain size. Unseated indoor venues with over 500 guests, unseated outdoor venues with over 4,000 patrons, and any venue with over 10,000 people require Covid passes to enter. A negative lateral flow test is also sufficient, he added.
Anyone with two doses of the vaccine under their sleeve is eligible for the NHS Covid pass, though the government hinted that boosters will soon be required as well.
Preemptive strike
While the South African scientists who discovered the Omicron variant have stressed that there is not yet any cause for alarm, indicating the strain while infectious does not seem to be especially harmful, Johnson insisted there was no way to tell that it wouldn’t result in a spike of hospitalizations and deaths. Therefore, “now it is proportionate and the responsible thing to move to Plan B in England,” he said.
Not a lockdown
Despite the new rules’ close resemblance to previous lockdowns in England, Johnson insisted on Wednesday that the move to Plan B “is not a lockdown,” insisting the rules would be reviewed “no later” than early January. Speaking in Parliament at the same time as Johnson’s press conference, Health Secretary Sajid Javid told MPs that the restrictions would end on January 26.