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UK Covid live: Boris Johnson gives press conference as eight new Omicron cases reported in England UK Covid live: Boris Johnson says people should not cancel Christmas parties over Omicron
(32 minutes later)
Prime minister leads Downing Street briefing with health secretary Sajid Javid and NHS England chief Amanda Pritchard Prime minister says the government does not want people to cancel events like Christmas parties and nativity plays
While the press conference was going on MPs voted for the second set of new Covid rules for England, requiring close contacts of people who are confirmed or suspected to have had the Omicron variant, to isolate for up to 10 days, by 431 votes to 36 - a majority of 395.
According to the parliamentary website, 32 Conservative MPs and three DUP MPs voted against. They are listed here.
Again, the numbers don’t quite tally, for reasons that are not clear.
Johnson ends by talking about Storm Arwen. He says no one asked about it. But he says he wants to reassure people who have lost power that everything possible is being done to get the power back up. He says he recognises how tough it will have been for people.
Q: Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are all advising people to work from home. Why are you taking a different view?
Johnson says the government does not think that is necessary. A package of measures is in place to deal with Delta. They are rolling out the vaccine, and it is working.
There is a particular issue with Omicron, and they are focusing on tough measures at the border.
They are also introducing face coverings in some settings.
He says they want to take a balanced and proportionate approach to Omicron.
They are waiting for evidence about how effective the vaccines and the boosters are against it. There are good grounds for thinking the boosters will give the protection people need.
Johnson says at the moment they see no need to move to plan B. But that has not been ruled out.
Q: Is there a risk of another “pingdemic”?
Johnson says he does not think that is likely. Currently the Omicron case numbers are small, he says.
Q: People are cancelling nativity plays and Christmas parties. Are they over-reacting?
Johnson says they do not want people to cancel events like Christmas parties and nativity plays.
Pritchard urges people to think about volunteering for the vaccine programme. The volunteer staff have been critical, she says.
Q: Is there community transmission of Omicron?
Javid says the cases revealed at the weekend were linked to South Africa. He says they do not know if that is the case for the cases announced today. But he says they have to be realistic about the likelihood that community transmission is taking place.
Q: Do you have enough vaccine in stock for the booster programme?
Pritchard says she is absolutely reassured that they have the vaccine stock they need.
Q: Would you advise people to use medical-grade masks?
Javid says they see no need to change the current advice on masks.
Q: Can you give people some hope that this will not go on?
Johnson says the measures put in place will not last a minute longer than is needed.
Pritchard says everyone should be able to book a booster vaccine by the end of January.
(That is not quite how Johnson put it earlier. He implied everyone would get their booster by the end of January.)
Pritchard says this will be the most complex part of the vaccine rollout so far.
NHS staff have responded magnificently, he says. She is confident they will again.
At the press conference the first media question is about Jenny Harries.At the press conference the first media question is about Jenny Harries.
Q: Was Jenny Harries right to say what she said about limiting socialisting at Christmas?Q: Was Jenny Harries right to say what she said about limiting socialisting at Christmas?
The answer is no, says Johnson. He says they are trying to take a balanced and proportionate approach. He sums up the measures announced at the weekend.The answer is no, says Johnson. He says they are trying to take a balanced and proportionate approach. He sums up the measures announced at the weekend.
Here is the list of 19 Tory MPs and three DUP MPs who voted against the new face covering rules for England.Here is the list of 19 Tory MPs and three DUP MPs who voted against the new face covering rules for England.
When the result was read out, there were 23 votes against, but the Commons website only lists 22 of those. It is not clear why.When the result was read out, there were 23 votes against, but the Commons website only lists 22 of those. It is not clear why.
Amanda Pritchard says she is writing to the NHS saying what needs to be done to operationalise the new guidance.Amanda Pritchard says she is writing to the NHS saying what needs to be done to operationalise the new guidance.
She says people do not need to contact the NHS about boosters; the NHS will contact them when it’s time for their jab, she says.She says people do not need to contact the NHS about boosters; the NHS will contact them when it’s time for their jab, she says.
Sajid Javid says the UK was the first country in the western world to authorise a vaccine for Covid.Sajid Javid says the UK was the first country in the western world to authorise a vaccine for Covid.
And the UK has delivered more booster jabs than any country apart from the US and China.And the UK has delivered more booster jabs than any country apart from the US and China.
He thanks all health staff who have made this a success.He thanks all health staff who have made this a success.
They have weakened the link between cases and hospitalisations and deaths, he says.They have weakened the link between cases and hospitalisations and deaths, he says.
He says the booster dose provides a much higher response than the primary course.He says the booster dose provides a much higher response than the primary course.
Omicron poses a very high global risk, the WHO has said. He says there have now been 13 confirmed cases in England and nine in Scotland.Omicron poses a very high global risk, the WHO has said. He says there have now been 13 confirmed cases in England and nine in Scotland.
The strategy to “buy the time we need to assess this new variant”.The strategy to “buy the time we need to assess this new variant”.
He says the latest developments have been worrying for some people. They have brought back memories of the strain of last winter. But we have one huge advantage we did not have then - the vaccination programme.He says the latest developments have been worrying for some people. They have brought back memories of the strain of last winter. But we have one huge advantage we did not have then - the vaccination programme.
This is a national mission, he says. If we want to have the best chance of a Christmas with our loved ones, we should get protected, he says.This is a national mission, he says. If we want to have the best chance of a Christmas with our loved ones, we should get protected, he says.
Johnson says people should avoid trying to book a booster until their age group gets its turn.Johnson says people should avoid trying to book a booster until their age group gets its turn.
He says he will be getting his own booster on Thursday.He says he will be getting his own booster on Thursday.
Boris Johnson is speaking now at his press conference.Boris Johnson is speaking now at his press conference.
He starts by saying all adults will be offered a booster vaccine by the end of January.He starts by saying all adults will be offered a booster vaccine by the end of January.
The government has won the vote on passing the new regulations on face coverings by 434 votes to 23 - a majority of 411.The government has won the vote on passing the new regulations on face coverings by 434 votes to 23 - a majority of 411.
The Boris Johnson press conference is about to start. He will be appearing with Sajid Javid, the health secretary, and Amanda Pritchard, chief executive officer for NHS England.The Boris Johnson press conference is about to start. He will be appearing with Sajid Javid, the health secretary, and Amanda Pritchard, chief executive officer for NHS England.
Eight more cases of the Omicron coronavirus variant have been detected in England, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has said.
There are in addition to the previous five confirmed cases of the Sars-CoV-2 variant known as B.1.1.529. The total number of confirmed cases in England is now 13.
The new cases include two in Barnet, one in Haringey, one in Liverpool, one in Norfolk, one in Sutton, one in Camden, and one in Westminster.
The individuals that have tested positive and their contacts are all isolating, health officials said. Work is under way to identify any links to travel to Southern Africa.
The UKHSA has now identified cases in the East Midlands, East of England, London and North West. UKHSA is carrying out targeted testing at locations where the positive cases were likely to be infectious.
Nine cases have also been identified in Scotland, with five cases in the Lanarkshire area and four in the Greater Glasgow and Clyde area, bringing the UK total to 22.
Dr Jenny Harries, the chief executive of UKHSA, said: “It is very likely that we will find more cases over the coming days as we are seeing in other countries globally and as we increase case detection through focused contact tracing. That’s why it’s critical that anyone with Covid-19 symptoms isolates and gets a PCR test immediately.”
In the Commons Maggie Throup, the health minister, has just wound up the debate. She ended with a slightly firmer rebuke to Dr Jenny Harries than she managed at the start of the debate. (See 1.11pm.) She said it was “government that sets policy and guidance” and that that was what the public should follow.
MPs are now voting on the first set of regulations, relating to face coverings. There was very loud cheering “no” cheering from Tory MPs opposed to the measure when Dame Eleanor Laing, the deputy Speaker, called the division.
Yesterday Edward Argar, the health minister, said he did not expect Covid regulations to tighten again before Christmas. And today Boris Johnson said there was no need for rules to change. (See 1.02pm.)
But, according to a YouGov poll, two thirds of people do expect further restrictions to be introduced within the next four weeks.
Bob Seely (Con) has just finished his speech in the Commons. Most of it was devoted to claims that Prof Neil Ferguson, the Imperial College epidemiologist whose modelling was influential in persuading Boris Johnson to order the first lockdown, was unreliable.
Baker says MPs face “a fundamental choice between heading towards heaven and heading towards hell”. The government is taking “the path to hell”, he claims. He says he is going to vote against all the measures, because he want to take the path towards heaven. He says he hopes MPs will follow him.
Back in the Commons Steve Baker (Con), deputy chair of the Covid Recovery Group, is speaking now. He says the government seems to be working on the principle that you cannot be too careful. But you can be too careful, he says.
He says if the government continues to over-react when there is a threat, whole sectors, like air travel and hospitality and tourism, will become uninvestable, he says.
These are from the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg.
In the Commons Mark Harper, chair of the lockdown-sceptic Tory Covid Recovery Group, is speaking. Echoing what Steve Brine said earlier, he says the regulations are not clear enough about what counts as a suspected case of Omicron. Close contacts of suspected cases will have to isolate for up to 10 days.
Harper is the fourth Conservative backbencher in a row to speak. That probably means there are no more opposition MPs who want to speak. Government supporters are notably absent from this debate too, and so the debate has been dominated by Tories critical of the government.
Craig Mackinlay spoke before Harper. He said he did not understand why the rules required someone to put on a mask to go into a shop - perhaps for a very brief period of time - to buy a bottle of alcohol, when they could subsequently go to a party with a large number of people where masks would not be required.
And, before Mackinlay, Huw Merriman told MPs that he was not against what the regulations were trying to achieve in principle. But they were badly drafted, he said.
All nine cases of the Omicron variant in Scotland link to a “single private event” on 20 November, Nicola Sturgeon has told the Holyrood parliament in her weekly Covid update.
Five cases on the new variant in Lanarkshire and four in Greater Glasgow and Clyde health boards have so far been identified.
She added that none of the people who have tested positive have so far required hospital care and that none has recent travel history to, or known links with, others who have travelled to the countries in Southern Africa where the variant was originally detected.
Sturgeon told MSPs that all nine were tested on and around 23 November.
Sturgeon also told MSPs that her government did not plan to introduce new restrictions at this stage, pointing out that “some protections that the UK government has announced in recent days in relation to England - for example a requirement to wear face coverings in some settings – are already in place, and in fact more extensive, here in Scotland”.
She said that instead the Scottish government was “asking people to significantly step up and increase compliance with existing protections – such as face coverings, hygiene, home working, ventilation, vaccination and regular testing”.
She added that her government’s view remained that travel rules should be tightened further on a four-nations basis.
At her news conference in Cardiff, Eluned Morgan, the Welsh government’s health minister, said people should “take seriously” the threat of mixing at Christmas.
Aligning firmly with Jenny Harries (see 9.31am) rather than Boris Johnson (see 1.02pm), Morgan said:
She also said she expected Omicron to turn up in Wales. “Omicron has not yet arrived in Wales, but it’s simply a question of time before it does,” she said.
Asked if the government would consider a type of lockdown or firebreak should Omicron begin to spread rapidly, Morgan said it was “too early to say”. But she said the government had a responsibility to keep the country open.