The number of Omicron cases jumped by 50%, making it a total of 48 cases in the UK. As of Sunday, another 43,992 cases of coronavirus have been recorded.
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Booster rollouts are going in full swing, with 51,094,640 initial vaccination doses administered, as of December 4. The UK has been conducting regular targeted testing and sequencing to curb the spread of the Omicron variant.
The government will not ban Christmas, but the citizens might face harsher restrictions ‘after Christmas.'
Get jabbed now!
With the rising number of people infected with the Omicron variant, the Health Secretary Sajid Javid said that when the NHS calls, you must:
Roll up your sleeves to get protected!
PM Boris Johnson also reinstates confidence in the booster jabs and urges the citizens to come forth when it’s their turn.
Over 35% of the population 12+ have had their booster jab and we are ramping up capacity to offer everyone 18 and over a booster by the end of January.
— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) December 5, 2021
It's the best way to protect you and your family so please come forward when the NHS contacts you.
But the president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, Dr Katherine Henderson, has warned the public that it will be a harsh Christmas. She said:
It is pretty spectacularly bad now, it will get worse — and if the new variant becomes a thing in terms of numbers and translates into hospitals admissions we are going to be in a very, very difficult position.
We will always still be there. We still want patients to come, but we do have to help people to understand that really at the moment the service is so stretched that an extra push could be very, very difficult.
Pre-departure COVID test
The government has added the new measure of pre-departure COVID tests for all UK arrivals, to ensure that the infection from the Omicron variant doesn't devastate the country further.
Another measure that has been reinstated by the government is the mandatory wearing of masks in public transports and shops. The resistance in doing so will incur a fine of £200. Every time you are charged, it will double up; the maximum limit is 32 times, which will amount to £6,400.
The Deputy Prime Minister, Dominic Raab, has given subtle warnings regarding the new variant and said that even though ‘the government wants people to enjoy Christmas this year,’ when it comes to office parties, employers should use their ‘common sense.’
