Covid Omicron lockdown: The restriction Brits face as Covid breaks records again
THE Omicron variant has scuppered nearly a year's worth of progress fighting Covid within a month, as officials noted a second record-breaking infection surge this morning. The Government has accelerated restrictions in response, and could take them further if necessary.
Sky News' Beth Rigby slams Boris for refusing to rule out restrictions
Today, for the second day in a row, Covid cases broke established records. Officials recorded another 88,376 today, up from 78,610 on Wednesday. The new high has prompted fresh concern, with health experts advising urgent Government action.
What restrictions could the Government add?
Scientists and senior advisers are urging the Government to hunker down ahead of a gloomy winter, with potentially up to 200,000 Omicron infections looming in the community.
Among them is Dr Susan Hopkins, UK Heath Security Agency (UKHSA) chief medical adviser, who warned the country may require “some level” of restrictions until February.
If Plan B fails to bring cases down, England may spend much of that time under much stricter measures.
READ MORE: School closure fears across UK as Wales blinks first
Plan C
Plan B measures have seen the Government apply gentle pressure to Britons living in England, with restrictions including limited usage of vaccine passports and an extended mask mandate.
If these fail, Plan C could follow, and potentially interrupt people's Christmas breaks.
There is no official Plan C yet, but ministers are drawing up "contingency plans" a Government source told the i paper.
These could include a return to social "bubbles" that guided the festive season in 2020, permitting two families to come together on Christmas Day and scuppering all but essential travel.
People may also see social distance and enhanced mask-wearing reintroduced.
Ministers may favour the latter policy for hospitality settings.
A senior Whitehall source told the paper that "some form of restrictions over Christmas are becoming more likely every day”.
Plan D
If even Plan C measures fail, the Government may have to reintroduce some of the more draconian measures that dominated 2020.
According to the Daily Mirror, "Plan D" would focus on hospitality settings.
Potential restrictions could include serving customers outdoors only.
And if cases continued to accelerate, complete closure could follow.
Officials could also require people to use vaccine passports for more venues.
People may also have to isolate after a brush with someone infected with Covid, regardless of whether officials suspect they have Omicron.
They stop short of a total lockdown, likely the Government's last resort.
Full lockdown
Another lockdown, although something not yet discussed by the Government, is another potential route ministers could take.
They could reintroduce many of the restrictions that governed pandemic response in 2020.
These included shuttered shops and hospitality settings, a travel ban and requests people only leave their homes for essential trips.
Other countries have already tested such a response or warned it is on the cards.
Norway has boosted its rules for bars, restaurants and gyms and introduced harsher quarantine arrangements in what has been described as a "partial" lockdown.
Israeli prime minister Naftali Bennett has warned his country might have to follow.
Earlier this week, he suggested Israel would "reach lockdown" if his government did not take "immediate and difficult steps".