What are the Christmas Covid restrictions in the UK?
THERE have been fears Plan B could be swapped out for tighter restrictions over the Christmas period.
The PM has said this will not be the case, but there are still Plan B restrictions in place for the public to adhere to over the festive period, and more rules could be brought in at a later date.
What are the current Christmas restrictions?
As we head to Christmas 2021, we are under Plan B restrictions which require mask wearing in indoor public places, encourage working from home and lateral flows and Covid passes for venues and big events.
As a result, families can mix on Christmas Day in their own homes, which is different to 2020.
Plan A focuses on continuing with the vaccine roll-out.
This means offering it to healthy 12 to 15-year-olds, encouraging those who have not yet come forward to do so, and moving forward with the booster jab programme for those most at risk.
Plan C is reportedly already being drawn up by Government chiefs and would see the reintroduction of Covid rules such as table service at pubs and restaurants and vaccine passports in smaller venues.
Under Plan C, punters would have to check in with the NHS Covid app to dine out and enjoy a drink, and masks would be mandatory in all indoor venues.
Plan D - the government's fourth and hopefully final option - however, could shut down hospitality venues altogether.
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When will Boris Johnson announce the new Covid restrictions?
Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced there would not be any new restrictions before Christmas.
He said in a recorded message: "The situation remains extremely difficult but I also recognise that people have been waiting to hear whether their Christmas plans are going to be affected.
"So what I can say tonight, is that naturally we can’t rule out any further measures after Christmas - and we’re going to keep a constant eye on the data, and we’ll do whatever it takes to protect public health.
"But in view of the continuing uncertainty about several things – the severity of Omicron, uncertainty about the hospitalisation rate or the impact of the vaccine rollout or the boosters, we don’t think today that there is enough evidence to justify any tougher measures before Christmas."
However, he said the government is ready to "take action" if the situation deteriorates, meaning there could be a change after Christmas.
The Prime Minister is expected to make another announcement of his Omicron battle plan in the next 48 hours.
At the moment, it is unclear if this will include a lockdown or a firebreak lockdown which would see harsher restrictions brought in temporarily.
What is a firebreak lockdown?
A firebreak lockdown is a short and intense lockdown, normally lasting two weeks, that aims to quickly bring down infection rates by immediately ceasing social interactions.
The idea is that the strictness will mean that full lockdown, that could last months, could be prevented and escalating infection rates could be nipped in the bud.
Independent Sage, a panel of experts outside the government's official advisory body, is demanding pubs and restaurants close for inside service in a 10-day circuit breaker lockdown.
The group also wants to ban indoor mixing and let parents take kids out of schools without fear of being fined.
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Justifying their harsh measures, they say: "The situation is so urgent we must take emergency action now and that means it is imperative to reduce contacts."