Boris Johnson lifts some of Covid’s bans in England just before Christmas

Boris Johnson announced Tuesday that he would not reopen coronavirus bans in England ahead of Christmas, but warned that additional measures may be needed next week.

Following a major cabinet reshuffle this week, the UK Prime Minister dropped his demands to prevent “breach of the territory” in internal meetings as ministers await more information on government threats. Omicron range.

UK recorded 90,629 new Covid-19 cases on Tuesday, up 52 percent on the same day last week. However, growth rates appear to have declined slightly, declining from December 16 to about 75 percent weekly.

Speaking from Downing Street, Johnson warned that Omicron continues to spread “at a rate different from anything we have ever seen” and that the UK’s situation remained “very difficult”. But he said other sanctions were not urgently needed.

“Given the extreme uncertainty on a number of issues – Omicron’s risk, uncertainty about medical risks or the impact of vaccines or supplements – we do not think there is enough evidence today to justify any serious pre-Christmas approach,” he said.

But the Prime Minister warned that he was “ready to take action” if the situation worsened. “Naturally, we will not stop doing certain things after Christmas and we will take a closer look at what has happened and do everything we can to protect public health.”

In the meantime, Scotland has decided to impose sanctions on public meetings, ban New Year’s festivities, and ban the masses from celebrating football and other sports.

Johnson’s decision not to issue any more sanctions was a result of opposition from several ministers. Liz Truss, the foreign secretary, was one of those who spoke to the prime minister on Monday that there should be more “non-compliance” to confirm the new sanctions.

The government is anticipating a recent review of the Omicron wave growth from Imperial College London researchers, expected Wednesday.

Last week, the research team, led by state science advisor Professor Neil Ferguson, did not find “evidence” that Omicron had a lower risk than the Delta nation, but warned that hospitals were “too small”.

In London, the first UK region to be affected by Omicron surgery, Covid-19 hospitals have been on the rise since February 8, when 245 patients were hospitalized in the last 24 hours.

Admission to a weekly hospital in London has risen by 41 per cent since December 19, but early estimates suggest that this could be driven by more patients who tested positive rather than receiving direct Covid-19 treatment.

The Prime Minister urged caution during the holidays and said the guidelines should be followed by wearing masks in the home, keeping air conditioning rooms and testing before visiting with at-risk or elderly relatives.

“The implication is that people can go ahead with their Christmas plans, but things are going well and I urge everyone to be careful, to protect yourself and your loved ones, especially those at risk,” he added.

In Scotland, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced that for three weeks from December 26, the Scottish government plans to reduce domestic violence to 100 standing people or 200 with foreign affairs to 500.

“This will make the matches play, including the ball, to be without spectators,” Sturgeon said. “It would unfortunately mean the big Hogmanay festivals, inclusive [those] what is planned here at our headquarters, does not happen. ”

Health officials and government scientists in England have warned that the idea of ​​delaying the ban will contribute to medical stress.

“There is still no question of, rather than a ban, when more restrictions will be introduced to curb the spread of Omicron,” said Matthew Taylor, chief of NHS Confederation, who represents organizations in medical teams. He added that the NHS is preparing for “emergencies” in the coming weeks.

Mark Woolhouse, a professor of infectious diseases at the University of Edinburgh, said the idea “for immediate action” was “clearly stated” by ministers, but “they have made a decision they do not want to take immediate action”.

“We will all know in a week or two if it is a good decision,” he added.