Johnson tightens rules on travel and mask-wearing over Omicron concerns

[dutchman]

Johnson confirms Plan B rules to continue for three weeks



England's current Plan B rules will continue for now, Boris Johnson has confirmed - as new figures show a record one in 15 people had Covid on New Year's Eve.

In an update to MPs, the prime minister said the Covid measures will be reviewed again by 26 January.

The rules cannot be scrapped completely because hospital admissions are rising rapidly, he added.

Making an announcement in the House of Commons earlier, Mr Johnson said the government would not be bringing in new measures.

"In response to the latest data the cabinet agreed this morning that we should stick with Plan B for another three weeks with a further review before the regulations expire on 26 January," he said.

"I know some might therefore ask whether this means we can now do away with measures altogether, but I'm sorry to report that hospital admissions are rising rapidly, doubling around every nine days, with already more than 15,000 Covid patients in hospital in England alone.

"We're experiencing the fastest growth in Covid cases we've ever known," he said - citing the record 218,724 daily confirmed cases on Tuesday, although that included some delayed reporting from over the festive period.

Other changes to Covid measures have also been announced:

• Double vaccinated people will no longer need to take pre-departure tests when coming to England from 04:00 GMT on Friday. They will also not have to self-isolate while waiting for their day two test
  
• People who test positive with a lateral flow test do not need to order a follow-up PCR test if they do not have symptoms. Anyone who has symptoms will still need to take a PCR test regardless, and anyone who tests positive with any test must self-isolate. The change comes into force in England from 11 January, in Northern Ireland immediately and in Scotland and Wales from Thursday.

Under England's Plan B measures, people are told to continue working from home wherever they can, wear face coverings on public transport and in public places, and show their vaccination status to get into nightclubs and large events.