COVID-19: UK PM Johnson issues new Plan B restrictions for England to curb Omicron spread

As the number of cases of the novel Omicron strain is increasing day by day in the United Kingdom, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced on December 8, Wednesday, that England will follow Plan B. As a part of new measures to curb the transmission of Omicron, citizens are requested to work from their homes and to wear face masks in most public venues.

During a press conference, PM Johnson presented the UK government's backup plan for COVID-19 restrictions going forward. "It's not a lockdown; it's Plan B," Prime Minister explained, as per BBC.

Johnson went on to say that shifting towards stronger measures was the appropriate thing to do. According to official numbers, there are 568 confirmed instances of Omicron in the UK, while the UK Health Security Agency thinks that the real number of infections is roughly 20 times greater and likely closer to 10,000. 

New measures to curb the spread of the novel COVID-19 variant

Further, under the new limitations, it has been stated that the wearing of face mask will be compulsory in most public indoor venues, including cinemas, theatres, as well as places of worship, starting on Friday, December 10. There will be exceptions in situations where wearing one is impractical, like when eating, drinking, or exercising. As a result, face masks will not be necessary for the hospitality industry, as per the press release from the PM's office.

Those who are able to work from home will be encouraged to do so beginning Monday, December 13. Further, the NHS Covid Pass on the NHS application will become compulsory under the new measures for entering nightclubs and places with large crowds, from Wednesday, 15th December, subject to the approval of Parliament.

This includes unseated indoor activities with 500 or more people attending, unseated outdoor events with 4,000 or even more people in attendance, and any occasion with 10,000 or more invitees. Individuals would be able to use the application to provide confirmation of two vaccination doses. Proof of a negative lateral flow test will also be accepted after considering the evidence after the advent of Omicron.

UK COVID tally

In addition to this, Johnson assured that no Christmas parties or nativity plays would be canceled and that nightclubs would stay open. He even highlighted that the new variant was spreading substantially quicker than Delta, and that preliminary data revealed that instances were doubling every 2.5 to three days.

Furthermore, as per the press release, the British government would continue to monitor all new information, with immunisation to be the greatest line of defence. Meanwhile, as per Worldometers, over 10,610,958 individuals have been affected by the disease in the nation since the outbreak, and more than 145,987 people have lost their lives to Coronavirus. 

(Image: AP/ Pixabay)