Boris Johnson announced a raft of new coronavirus restrictions Wednesday in the face of the rapidly-spreading Omicron variant.
Under the new restrictions, proof of vaccinations or a negative COVID-19 test will be required to enter nightclubs and large venues from next week, while face masks will be mandatory in most indoor settings. People in England will also be asked to work from home “if you can” from next week.
The measures — likely to be controversial with Johnson’s own MPs — constitute England’s ‘Plan B’ set of contingency restrictions, drawn up by ministers during the fall. Johnson said the new measures were required to prevent a big rise in hospitalizations and deaths.
“It’s become increasingly clear that Omicron is growing much faster than the previous Delta variant, and it’s spreading rapidly all around the world,” the prime minister said at a Downing Street press conference.
“We know that the remorseless logic of exponential growth could lead to a big rise in hospitalizations and therefore, sadly, in deaths, and that’s why it’s now the proportionate and the responsible thing to move to Plan B in England,” Johnson said.
The announcement came just hours after the resignation of government adviser Allegra Stratton amid anger over a leaked video of Stratton and other Downing Street staff joking about holding a Christmas party last year, while the U.K. was in lockdown.
Johnson apologized earlier Wednesday for the video and said he had been “repeatedly assured there was no party.” The prime minister has ordered an inquiry into whether any rules were broken.
