Boris Johnson has ruled out any more covid restrictions before Christmas saying there is not enough evidence to justify tougher measures.
The Prime Minister said “continuing uncertainty” about the severity of the Omicron variant and hospital admission rates means he does not believe the time is right to justify stricter measures.
The Prime Minister’s confirmation of no new restrictions in England before Christmas came as Nicola Sturgeon introduced a raft of measures on December 26th and 27th, including a ban on large outdoor events like football matches and the re-imposition of table service in pubs.
Johnson’s 5pm video message was designed to assure consumers and businesses and buy himself time with cabinet members and Tory backbenchers opposed to more restrictions.
He has faced determined opposition from his party to further restrictions and a three-hour cabinet meeting on Tuesday decided against further measures despite expert advise to re-introduce social distancing measures.
The PM said the situation remains “finely balanced” and people should “exercise caution” after the chancellor Rishi Sunak promised more funding for businesses affected by the people choosing to restrict their own socialising.
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The Prime Minister said: “There is no doubt that Omicron continues to surge with a speed unlike anything we’ve seen before.
“The situation remains extremely difficult but I also recognise that people have been waiting to hear whether their Christmas plans are going to be affected.
“So 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, and we’ll do whatever it takes to protect public health.
“But in view of the continuing uncertainty about several things – the severity of Omicron, uncertainty about the hospitalisation rate or the impact of the vaccine rollout or the boosters, we don’t think today that there is enough evidence to justify any tougher measures before Christmas.”
Johnson added: ““We continue to monitor Omicron very closely and if the situation deteriorates we will be ready to take action if needed.
“What this means is that people can go ahead with their Christmas plans but the situation remains finely balanced and I would urge everyone to exercise caution, to keep protecting yourselves and your loved ones, especially the vulnerable.”
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