Covid: No new measures in England but we rule nothing out, says PM

The government “won’t hesitate” to introduce further Covid rules in England as cases of the Omicron variant continue to surge ahead of Christmas, the prime minister has said.

Boris Johnson did not announce any new measures but said ministers were “looking at all kinds of things”.

The PM said the data was being reviewed “hour by hour” but there were still “some things that we need to be clearer about before we decide to go further”.

He urged people to exercise caution.

A further 91,743 Covid cases were reported across the UK on Monday, the second highest daily total on record.

The government’s scientific advisers say new restrictions may be required very soon – and have suggested reducing the size of groups that can meet and closing venues where there is a high risk of transmission.

Speaking after a two-hour cabinet meeting, Mr Johnson said the arguments for taking action in the face of the spread of Omicron were “very, very finely balanced”.

He added: “Unfortunately I must say to people that we will have to reserve the possibility of taking further action to protect the public, to protect public health, to protect our NHS. We are looking at all kinds of things to keep Omicron under control and we will rule nothing out.”

Asked about the prospect of further restrictions, Mr Johnson said: “At the moment, what I think we want people to focus on is exercising caution – so ventilation, masks in the appropriate places, all the usual stuff about washing hands, but remember how contagious Omicron really is.”

The prime minister said “what really matters is for everybody to get vaccinated and get boosted”.

He also acknowledged the impact recent behavioural changes by some people, such as cancelling bookings, were having on businesses in the hospitality sector, saying the economic impacts would be kept “under constant review”.

By Damian Grammaticas, political correspondent

The PM had been urged to give clarity. The nation was waiting to hear if there would be more restrictions coming – and if so, what and when?

Boris Johnson and his cabinet had spent more than two hours deliberating. But what Mr Johnson told us didn’t answer those questions.

On how serious things are, he said there were still “uncertainties” and “we should keep the data under review”.

On what possible action might come, he said: “We are looking at all kinds of things.”

Could it still happen before Christmas? “We will rule nothing out,” he replied.

So this was a decision by the PM not to do more right now, despite the fact he said cases were “surging”.

Was that because of doubts around the cabinet table? Or because the PM – as he pointed out – believes people are already adapting their behaviour and he wants more time to see if that’s enough to control the spread of Omicron?

Perhaps, but it perpetuates the uncertainty. And, as the scientists have said, delay has consequences in itself, because cases continue to rise.

Shadow health secretary Wes Streeting accused Mr Johnson of having “absolutely nothing new to say, no plan whatsoever”.

He told Radio 4’s PM programme: “Boris Johnson is paralysed by weakness because of fear of his own backbenchers… no-one wants to bite the bullet and level with the public this side of Christmas.”

The current rules for England – known as Plan B – include Covid passes for certain events, face masks in more places and people being urged to work from home if they can.

Other nations of the UK have similar rules, though Scotland has gone further by asking people to limit social contact to three households at a time in the run-up to Christmas. However, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon confirmed on Monday that people in Scotland would not face fresh restrictions on Christmas Day gatherings, despite ongoing concerns about the Omicron variant.

Wales has also ordered nightclubs to close from 27 December.

Mr Johnson said the “obvious conclusion is that it was right to go fast with Plan B in the way that we did and also right to double the speed of the booster rollout”, adding: “The benefits of that course of action we may see in the next few days and weeks in the way we are able to contain the disease.”