Following an increase in cases of the Omicron variant, Prime Minister Boris Johnson declared that the UK is switching to ‘Plan B’ in the fight against COVID-19.
Johnson provided fresh guidelines to the British public this week during a Downing Street news conference, advising them to work from home as much as possible starting Monday.
Face masks will be required in most indoor public places starting Friday (Dec. 10). Cinemas, theaters, and houses of worship will be among them. Certain hospitality establishments, such as bars and restaurants, will be exempt.
Vaccine passports will be necessary for anyone who wish to go to nightclubs or other places with huge crowds. Positive lateral flow tests will be acceptable as well.
Those who come into touch with those who have been infected with the virus will be subjected to daily testing rather than isolation, according to Johnson. Plan B measures, according to the Prime Minister, “do not amount to a lockdown,” and he encouraged people to “keep going” with Christmas nativity performances and celebrations.
The goal is to get the limits in place “no later than early January and possibly before.”