Plan C being planned.
https://inews.co.uk/news/politics/pl...istmas-1345514
Further measures to stop the Omicron variant may be deployed after Christmas under a rough “Plan C” drawn up by officials.
Boris Johnson said on Wednesday that he could not rule out introducing tougher restrictions – which could be up to and including lockdown – if the new strain was proven to be more dangerous than Delta and Plan B did not do enough to bring down cases over the festive period.
Officials and scientific experts working on the Covid response have looked at stepping up restrictions if it is necessary, including mandatory face masks in hospitality settings and school classrooms, 10-day self-isolation for contacts of confirmed cases of all covid variants, not just Omicron as is currently the case, and check-ins at venues including pubs and restaurants.
Some of these options were on the table for Plan B but were overruled by ministers before the new package was unveiled by the Prime Minister on Wednesday, it is understood.
The mandatory 10-day isolation for all contacts of any strain of Covid is particularly controversial among Tory MPs and businesses because the last time it was in place it led to a “pingdemic”, forcing thousands of people off work and causing delays to food deliveries and staffing shortages in public transport.
Instead the core group of Cabinet ministers including the PM agreed to allow contacts of Covid cases to take lateral flow tests every day, which would keep them out of isolation if negative.
Face masks are already advised in communal areas in secondary schools, but this would be extended to classrooms for pupils and staff under a potential Plan C.
In his Downing Street press conference on Wednesday, Mr Johnson reassured the public that while he ruled nothing out, he could also scale back existing measures if the data showed Omicron was not as severe as feared.
There are no plans to close schools early before Christmas and ministers have repeatedly said that schools will be the last sector to close altogether in another lockdown.
Scientific advisors hope the two-week school holiday will bring down cases that are currently circulating at high levels, particularly in primary schools, and with older relatives receiving booster shots there will be a lower risk of transmission among families at Christmas.
However there is an alternative view among officials that the festive period, with no restrictions on household mixing, will drive up cases of the Omicron variant particularly among younger age groups who are not yet eligible for their booster.
Asked about further measures yesterday, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “We think Plan B is a sensible and proportionate step given what we know about the characteristics of this variant at this stage.
“The Prime Minister was clear yesterday that we will continue to need to keep our response under review as we find out more about this variant, so we can’t rule anything out at this stage – I don’t think anyone would expect us to do that.”
https://inews.co.uk/news/politics/pl...istmas-1345514
Further measures to stop the Omicron variant may be deployed after Christmas under a rough “Plan C” drawn up by officials.
Boris Johnson said on Wednesday that he could not rule out introducing tougher restrictions – which could be up to and including lockdown – if the new strain was proven to be more dangerous than Delta and Plan B did not do enough to bring down cases over the festive period.
Officials and scientific experts working on the Covid response have looked at stepping up restrictions if it is necessary, including mandatory face masks in hospitality settings and school classrooms, 10-day self-isolation for contacts of confirmed cases of all covid variants, not just Omicron as is currently the case, and check-ins at venues including pubs and restaurants.
Some of these options were on the table for Plan B but were overruled by ministers before the new package was unveiled by the Prime Minister on Wednesday, it is understood.
The mandatory 10-day isolation for all contacts of any strain of Covid is particularly controversial among Tory MPs and businesses because the last time it was in place it led to a “pingdemic”, forcing thousands of people off work and causing delays to food deliveries and staffing shortages in public transport.
Instead the core group of Cabinet ministers including the PM agreed to allow contacts of Covid cases to take lateral flow tests every day, which would keep them out of isolation if negative.
Face masks are already advised in communal areas in secondary schools, but this would be extended to classrooms for pupils and staff under a potential Plan C.
In his Downing Street press conference on Wednesday, Mr Johnson reassured the public that while he ruled nothing out, he could also scale back existing measures if the data showed Omicron was not as severe as feared.
There are no plans to close schools early before Christmas and ministers have repeatedly said that schools will be the last sector to close altogether in another lockdown.
Scientific advisors hope the two-week school holiday will bring down cases that are currently circulating at high levels, particularly in primary schools, and with older relatives receiving booster shots there will be a lower risk of transmission among families at Christmas.
However there is an alternative view among officials that the festive period, with no restrictions on household mixing, will drive up cases of the Omicron variant particularly among younger age groups who are not yet eligible for their booster.
Asked about further measures yesterday, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “We think Plan B is a sensible and proportionate step given what we know about the characteristics of this variant at this stage.
“The Prime Minister was clear yesterday that we will continue to need to keep our response under review as we find out more about this variant, so we can’t rule anything out at this stage – I don’t think anyone would expect us to do that.”
Comment