LONDON − British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced yesterday the tightening of virus restrictions in England as Omicron variant cases surge.
Johnson said at a briefing that the rate of Omicron cases was doubling every two to three days, risking a “big rise in hospitalisations”.
“We must be humble in the face of this virus”, he said, adding that it was “the proportionate and the responsible thing to move to Plan B in England”.
He added that the government will make it compulsory to show Covid vaccine passports in England for the first time while the devolved administrations of Scotland and Wales have already brought in similar measures.
The passes will be required “for entry into nightclubs and venues where large crowds gather”, Johnson said, specifying that this would mean any unseated indoor venue with more than 500 people in attendance and any unseated outdoor venue with more than 4,000 people.
He also said that the passes will be required for any venue with more than 10,000 people present, such as sports stadiums.
The rules will come into effect from Wednesday, December 15.
Sports fans will need to show proof of double vaccination or a negative lateral flow test to attend sporting events in England under new Covid-19 rules.
There are three Premier League games on December 14 − the day before the rules come into effect − with four top-flight games the following day when the rules begin.
The new rules will affect all 17 Premier League games scheduled between December 15-19, including Brentford, Manchester City and Norwich, who all play on Tuesday.
A Covid pass will also be required at all ten Championship games in England from December 15-19 as well as seven of the 12 League One games and six of the 12 League Two games next week.
All four European Champions Cup rugby matches and all three European Challenge Cup ties taking place in England next week will also be affected.
Premier League clubs have conducted spot checks on fans this season − with Brighton, Chelsea and Tottenham among those to make Covid passes mandatory.
The UK has had more than ten million confirmed cases and nearly 146,000 people have died from the virus − one of the highest tolls in Europe.
Health Secretary Sajid Javid said yesterday there have been 568 confirmed cases of the newly discovered Omicron variant, but the true figure is “probably closer to 10,000”.
Johnson said that it was becoming increasingly clear that Omicron is “growing much faster” than the previously dominant Delta variant and “we can’t yet assume Omicron is less severe than previous variants”.
The prime minister stressed the importance of people taking vaccines and the booster doses now being offered. So far, almost 21 million people have received boosters in the UK.
“The single biggest thing that every one of us can do is to get our jabs and crucially to get that booster as soon as our turn arrives,” he said. – Agencies, December 9, 2021
