Sajid Javid fails to rule out fresh Omicron curbs in England before Christmas

UK health secretary Sajid Javid has failed to rule out tighter Covid restrictions in England to stem the spread of the Omicron coronavirus variant before Christmas, warning there were “no guarantees” while dealing with a pandemic.

Government science advisers have told ministers that further measures may need to be implemented swiftly in England in order avert a wave of hospitalisations similar in scale to last winter.

Questioned on The Andrew Marr Show on BBC One if he could rule out tighter restrictions, Javid said: “We are assessing the situation, it’s very fast-moving. We’ve seen with Omicron there’s a lot that we still don’t know about Omicron.

“That’s the truth of the matter. The reality is there’s a lot of uncertainty,” adding that it was “time to be more cautious”.

Pushed on his refusal to rule out a short national lockdown, a so-called “circuit-breaker”, or new restrictions before Christmas, he replied: “There are no guarantees in this pandemic, I don’t think. At this point we just have to keep everything under review.”

The government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) has warned that England could face “at least 3,000 hospital admissions per day” early next year if ministers stick to prime minister Boris Johnson’s “Plan B” strategy.

If no further measures were implemented, daily deaths could number at least 600 by February, the advisers added.

Confirmed Covid-19 infections surpassed 90,000 cases a day for the second successive day across the UK on Friday, following a week of record high caseloads. Some 90,418 people tested positive in the latest 24-hour period, up 67 per cent on the same day last week.

Sage said restrictions on indoor social contact and indoor hospitality were likely to be needed before the new year to prevent a peak of daily hospital admissions similar to last January when nearly 4,000 Covid patients were hospitalised in a single day.

Control measures, including “reducing group sizes, increasing physical distancing, reducing duration of contacts and closing high risk premises” could be needed on top of face masks, ventilation and capacity limits, the committee said.

“It’s a very sobering analysis. We take it very seriously,” Javid told the BBC on Sunday. Johnson has promised to recall parliament if he does propose new measures.

Tory MPs fear the government is already presiding over a “lockdown by stealth”. Rishi Sunak, the UK chancellor, is facing increasing pressure to provide a package of aid for sectors such as hospitality, retail and travel.

London’s mayor, Sadiq Khan, has declared a “major incident” in the city after 26,000 new cases were reported on Friday, which he said were causing staff absences in the capital’s emergency services.

Speaking to the Marr show, he said it was “inevitable” new restrictions would have to be introduced. “The direction of travel is only going one way: cases doubling over two days”, he said.

“I think if we don’t bring in new restrictions sooner rather than later, you’re going to see even more positive cases and potentially public services like the NHS on the verge of collapse, if not collapsing.”