UPDATE: Fresh reports are suggesting that no announcement will be made as a direct result of today’s meeting
An announcement from Boris Johnson is expected soon as he holds a ‘crunch’ meeting today to review the nation’s covid data to assess whether he will plunge the UK back into restrictions ahead of the New Year.
He is reportedly hesitant to impose new restrictions, but is facing calls to restrict hospitality over the New Year to curb the spread of the Omicron variant.
Ahead of this decision, he is holding a meeting today with Chris Whitty and Patrick Vallance to assess the current hospitalisation rates across the country.
Particular attention will be given to the rates in London, which is widely seen as being a litmus test for the rest of the country due to the high prevalence of the new variant.
Early hospitalisation data suggests that Omicron is between 50-70% milder than the previous Delta variant, though this may change with developing information over the Christmas period.
As the clock counts down to New Year’s Eve, it seems less likely that a snap decision on a lockdown will be made, with milder restrictions and/or further renewed focus on the booster campaign taking the forefront in government messaging.
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