Boris Johnson rules out any further restrictions before Christmas
The Prime Minister has confirmed that the government will not introduce any further Covid restrictions in England before Christmas, but cautioned that the situation remains “finely balanced” thereafter.
In a video posted on Twitter from Downing Street, Boris Johnson delivered a message ensuring “people can go ahead with their Christmas plans” and said that the government didn’t think it had enough evidence to justify any tougher restrictions before the 25th.
“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 – we will do whatever it takes to protect public health,” Mr Johnson said.
“But, in view of the continuing uncertainty about several things – the severity of Omicron, uncertainty about the hospitalisation rates or the impact of the vaccine rollout and the boosters – we don’t think today that there is enough evidence to justify any tougher measures before Christmas.
Johnson did, however, encourage people to exercise caution and to take Covid tests before meeting elderly relatives.
“We continue to monitor Omicron very closely and if the situation deteriorates we will be ready to take action if needed,” he added.