Covid Omicron information newest: Sajid Javid refuses to rule out additional restrictions earlier than Christmas

Shadow Well being Secretary Wes Streeting urged the federal government to set out its plan for Covid restrictions over Christmas.

Talking to Occasions Radio, Mr Streeting stated: “The SAGE report makes it clear that motion sooner relatively than later will likely be more practical.”

He added: “The longer we delay, the more serious it is going to be and the much less efficient measures could be.

“I believe our expertise within the pandemic tells us that when the federal government has delayed motion, once they have lastly chosen to behave, the restrictions have been harsher and longer.”

The shadow Well being Secretary went on to quote how Prime Minister Boris Johnson has a duty to “come ahead with a plan” and to “stage with the nation.”

“He’s actually obtained to behave,” Mr Streeting added.

The Well being Secretary has hit out at individuals who have chosen to not be vaccinated towards coronavirus as they “take up hospital beds” that might be used for sufferers in want.

Sajid Javid criticised those that are eligible for a jab however have determined to not take up the supply, saying they’re having a “damaging affect” on others.

He stated 10 per cent of the eligible inhabitants – greater than 5 million folks – nonetheless had not acquired their jabs, and round 9 out of 10 of these needing probably the most care in hospital have been unvaccinated.

The reopening of Scottish faculties after the Christmas holidays ought to be delayed due to the Omicron variant, a instructing union has stated.

Seamus Searson, common secretary of the Scottish Secondary Academics Affiliation (SSTA), stated rising instances have been already resulting in staffing points and the issue is anticipated to develop worse within the new yr.

In the meantime, the pinnacle of the EIS instructing union stated the federal government ought to be ready to return faculties to distant studying if vital.

Nevertheless, the Scottish authorities has stated it isn’t contemplating nationwide college closures.

Each union leaders spoke to the Scotland on Sunday newspaper, urging care over the unfold of coronavirus in faculties.

A senior Tory has criticised the “off the bus, on the bus” strategy to tackling coronavirus.

Talking on Occasions Radio, Tobias Ellwood stated: “That strategy must cease as a result of it is damaging our economic system, carrying folks out and our NHS is not in a position to cope.”

He stated there was “loads of scope, I am afraid, for one more variant to show up, presumably through the summer season”.

And he stated: “We must be planning for that now. As a substitute, it is a stop-start, it is this, you recognize, locking down and killing the economic system, then attempting to revive it once more.

“You possibly can’t proceed to maintain shifting in that manner. So what we have to do is best plan for the longer term.”

Rising numbers of pregnant girls and new moms are being denied their maternity pay entitlement within the wake of the pandemic, new figures present.

Maternity Motion, a being pregnant charity, says it has recovered over £1 million for ladies subjected to pay discrimination however is warning that many extra expectant and new moms are shedding out on earnings.

Our girls’s correspondent Maya Oppenheim has this unique story:

My colleague Joe Sommerlad has put collectively this useful information on every thing it’s good to find out about get a Covid booster jab, in case you haven’t already:

The well being secretary defended the federal government’s help for companies.

He informed The Andrew Marr Present on BBC One which it was “not fairly proper to say the federal government’s not doing something in any respect”.

He stated: “I fully perceive companies now coming ahead to say ‘I am laborious hit’, they usually have each proper to make these representations to authorities.

“The chancellor and his group are listening, I believe the chancellor has executed a wonderful job all through this pandemic in coping with this and little doubt he’ll hold issues underneath evaluate.”

The Bishop of Dover has urged the federal government to present the general public clear messages over coronavirus restrictions and abide by them.

Rose Hudson-Wilkin informed Trevor Phillips On Sunday on Sky Information: “The blended messages and the ‘do what I say and never as I do’ will undoubtedly have an effect on the nation going ahead by way of how we reply.

“And so I’d wish to encourage our flesh pressers, our political leaders, to really make sure that the messages that they are giving to the broader group is a transparent message, and in addition that they observe the message themselves and that they are saying ‘that is for all of us and never only for you’.”

She stated she believed the church would keep open over Christmas.

“We’ve got realized what to do and handle on this pandemic time. We’ve got realized ensure that we hold protected inside our church buildings, one thing that we did not know initially, however we do know that now.”

Sajid Javid stated the “trustworthy reality” is the pandemic will proceed to have an effect on NHS ready occasions.

He informed BBC One’s Andrew Marr Present: “Because the NHS is going through this new important stress, because it’s making ready for what we all know will likely be actually extra hospitalisations, it’ll have an effect on ready occasions. I believe that’s the trustworthy reality and there is not any getting away from that.

“However additionally it is the case if the NHS did not put together and wasn’t prepared to soak up these hospitalisations, that the affect on healthcare usually might be extra extreme.

“So there is not any simple manner in coping with these challenges.”

The well being secretary has stated it stays an “particular person determination” whether or not folks go to Christmas events.

He stated lots of the events he had been invited to had been cancelled or scaled again.

And he informed The Andrew Marr Present: “I believe that is true up and down the nation.”

However he stated the state of affairs was not “a lockdown in any respect by any means”.

He added: “What it’s, is folks taking their very own particular person selections.”