Boris Johnson faces 4 options in today's crunch Omicron meeting: 🔴 Full lockdown restrictions 🟠 Legally enforced ‘Plan C’ rules 🟡 A guidance-based ‘soft’ Plan C 🟢 Stick to ‘Plan B’
is expected to make a firm decision on Monday as to whether to bring back Covid restrictions in England before the new year.
This is because MPs would need to be recalled from their Christmas break if new legal measures are needed, which normally takes at least two days and could drag on even longer due to logistical problems with relocating Parliament’s staff. Limits on indoor mixing would feature highly, with officials said to be considering measures ranging from an outright ban on indoor gatherings to a return to the rule of six.
Rececnt modelling produced for Sage found that ‘rapidly enacted’ Step Two measures would likely ‘reduce the peak of hospital pressure to about half its level under Plan B only’. It will be considered by ministers today.As legal restrictions would be logistically challenging to pull off in time for New Year’s Eve – and are strongly opposed by more than 100 Tory backbenchers – the PM could push for similar rules framed instead as strong guidance.
But it would very likely be accompanied by cautious warnings from Mr Johnson or his advisers as Monday’s figures may not light up a clear path ahead.
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