The Prime Minister has warned that NHS Hospitals are under pressure, but Covid-19 plans will remain unchanged.
Speaking on a visit to a vaccination centre in Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire, the Prime Minister said Omicron is “plainly milder” than other variants. However, he warned that the NHS may come under “considerable” pressure in coming weeks, highlighting that the vast majority of people in ICUs have not had a booster jab.
Speaking to the BBC, the Prime Minister said the “way forward for the country as a whole is to continue on the path that we are on, but of course we’ll keep all the data under review.
“It will be absolute folly to say that this thing is over…we’ve got to stick with Plan B.”
Masks in classrooms:
Boris Johnson said that he doesn’t like the idea of masks in classrooms, but pointed to evidence from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) that says they can cut transmission rates. Acknowledging that masks in classrooms are a short-term fix, he said “We don’t want to keep them. I don’t like the idea of having face masks in [the] classroom any more than anybody else does.”
Reducing length of isolation:
Some Conservative MPs have called for US-style system to be introduced, cutting quarantine for fully vaccinated people to five days. However, the Prime Minister disagreed pointing to UKHSA advice that doing so would be “counterproductive” and could worsen staff shortages if it led to more people becoming infected.
Ministers are developing “robust contingency plans” for workplace absences, as the Government warned rising cases could see sickness rates amongst employees up to a quarter off work. Rising case numbers have seen large numbers self-isolating and being unable to go to work. This has affected industries where staff are unable to work from home.
