Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced that the UK is moving to ‘Plan B’ in tackling COVID-19, in the wake of a surge of cases of the Omicron variant.
During a Downing Street press conference this week, Johnson issued new guidance for the British public to now work from home where possible from Monday.
Face masks will now also be compulsory from Friday (Dec. 10) in most indoor public venues. These will include cinemas, theatres, and places of worship. Exemptions will be for certain hospitality venues, such as pubs and restaurants.
Vaccine passports will be required for those who want to attend nightclubs, along with other venues that host large crowds. Negative lateral flow tests will also be accepted.
Johnson announced that daily testing will be introduced instead of isolation for those who come in contact with people infected by the virus. The Prime Minister stressed that Plan B measures “do not amount to a lockdown” and continued to encourage people to “keep going” with Christmas nativity plays and parties.
The aim is for the restrictions to be in place “no later than early January and possibly before.”
