Coronavirus - 9th December 2021

Summary for Thursday, 9th December

• Tougher restrictions are being introduced in England to tackle the new Omicron variant
  
• They include the extension of mandatory face masks, Covid passes to enter some venues and advice to work from home
  
• Health Secretary Sajid Javid says the measures are needed to protect the NHS but the government is facing a backlash from some Tory MPs
  
• Backbencher Marcus Fysh says plans to bring in Covid health certificates are "really draconian" and an "utter disgrace"
  
• The nightclub industry says passes will have a "devastating impact" on the sector
  
• Police meanwhile say they will not investigate allegations Downing Street staff broke Covid rules with a party last year
  
• Sajid Javid said a video of staff laughing about it had upset him, but he was assured no rules were broken
  
• More parties involving Tory and No 10 staff also took place in November and December last year, the BBC has been told
  
• England will be implementing a raft of plan B measures to combat a surge in Covid cases in the lead-up to Christmas.
  
• British prime minister Boris Johnson made the announcement at a Downing Street press conference on Wednesday night amid fears of an exponential rise in the Omicron variant. Johnson said people must work from home where possible from Monday and that face masks would be a legal requirement in most public indoor areas such as theatres and cinemas from Friday, with exemptions for eating and drinking in hospitality venues.
  
• The move comes as government experts warned Omicron infections could rise to 1m by the end of the month with up to 2,000 hospital admissions a day.
  
• Three doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine are likely to protect against infection from the Omicron variant but two doses may not, according to laboratory data.
  
• Tests using antibodies in blood samples have given some of the first insights into how far Omicron escapes immunity, showing a stark drop-off in the predicted protection against infection or any type of disease for people who have had two doses. The findings suggest that, for Omicron, Pfizer/BioNTech should now be viewed as a “three-dose vaccine”.
  

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the coronavirus pandemic.

Here are the main UK stories this morning:

• Plan B measures, including masks in most public places, Covid passes for large venues and guidance to work from home, will be introduced in England to tackle the Omicron variant
  
• Mandatory Covid passes will have a devastating impact on night time venues, an industry body says
  
• And the government faces a backlash from some Tory MPs, who have questioned why the public should follow the rules when No 10 staff broke restrictions by having a Christmas party last year
  
• The Metropolitan Police says it is not investigating allegations Downing Street staff broke Covid rules in December last year due to "an absence of evidence"
  
• Australia's deputy prime minister has tested positive for coronavirus after visiting the UK earlier this week
  

A quick glance at the latest coronavirus headlines from around the world:

• The WHO said early data indicates the Omicron Covid variant may more easily reinfect people who have already had the virus or been vaccinated than previous variants, but could also cause milder disease.
  
• In the UK, Boris Johnson rushed forward new Covid restrictions amid fears of an exponential rise in the Omicron variant. “It’s now the proportionate and the responsible thing to move to plan B.” From Monday people must work from home.
  
• Omicron cases in the UK could exceed 1 million by the end of this month on the current trajectory, Sajid Javid has told MPs.
  
• Denmark will again impose restrictions aimed at curbing the rapid spread of Covid including the new Omicron variant, the country’s prime minister said on Wednesday.
  
• France has reported 93,071 coronavirus deaths in hospital, up by 129. It reported that 2,426 people were in intensive care units for Covid, up by 75 on the previous day’s figures.
  
• Slovakia will on Friday reopen non-essential shops and some services for those vaccinated against Covid-19 while at the same time extending a lockdown for others and closing some schools, health minister Vladimir Lengvarsky said.
  
• South Africa has approved Pfizer’s coronavirus booster shots for over-18s, as the Omicron variant dominates rising new infections.The South African Health Products Authority said in a statement that it was authorising a third vaccine dose “in individuals aged 18 years and older, to be administered at least six months after the second dose”.
  
• Italy has reported 17,959 Coronavirus cases, up from 15,756 on Tuesday.Elsewhere, Bolivia, Peru and Colombia continue to see an increase in cases, while Ecuador, Chile and Argentina saw a drop.
  
• UK figures show 51,342 new people had a confirmed positive test result reported on 8 December 2021.Between 2 and 8 December, 339,861 people had a confirmed positive test result, an increase of 11.3% compared to the previous week.
  
• BioNTech and Pfizer said on Wednesday a three-shot course of their Covid-19 vaccine was able to neutralise the new Omicron variant in a laboratory test and they could deliver an Omicron-based vaccine in March 2022 if needed.
  
• The Democratic-controlled US Senate approved a Republican measure that would overturn president Joe Biden’s Covid-19 vaccine-or-test mandate for private businesses, with two Democrats joining Republicans to back the initiative.
  
• France may introduce a fourth Covid vaccine booster shot, the government’s top Covid-19 adviser Jean-Francois Delfraissy has said.
  
• Cuba detected its first Omicron case in a person who had travelled from Mozambique, Cuban state media agency ACN reported late.
  
• Indian Covid-19 vaccine makers are lobbying the government to authorise boosters as supplies have outstripped demand.
  
• South Africa reported nearly 20,000 new cases on Wednesday, a record since Omicron was detected, and 36 new Covid-related deaths.
  
• The US Food and Drug Administration authorised the use of AstraZeneca’s antibody cocktail to prevent Covid-19 infections in individuals with weak immune systems or a history of severe side effects from coronavirus vaccines.
  

What are the new Plan B rules for England?

• From Friday, face masks will be required in more public settings - including theatres and cinemas
  
• From Monday, people will be asked to work from home where possible
  
• From Wednesday, the NHS Covid Pass will be required for visitors to nightclubs, indoor unseated venues with more than 500 people, unseated outdoor venues with more than 4,000 people and any event with more than 10,000 people. It means people must show proof of full vaccination, a negative test or recent recovery from infection
  

You can read more about the new rules here.

Police will not investigate Downing Street Party

The Metropolitan Police says it is not investigating allegations No 10 staff broke Covid rules in December of last year due to "an absence of evidence".
A video obtained by ITV shows No 10 aides joking about holding a Christmas party amid lockdown restrictions.
The PM's former spokeswoman, Allegra Stratton, who appears in the clip, stepped down from her role yesterday with a tearful apology.
Labour has urged the police to pursue an investigation "without fear or favour".
Read the full story here.

Plan B measures buy time to roll out boosters - Javid

Plan B measures are being introduced in England to "buy time" to assess the new Omicron variant and build the country's defences, the health secretary says.
Sajid Javid tells BBC Breakfast the best defence against Covid remains the vaccination programme, and the extra measures provide time to offer booster jabs to more people.
He says ministers received more information about the rate Omicron was spreading earlier this week - with estimates suggesting the doubling rate is between 2.5 and 3 days.
At this rate, he warns there could be one million UK Omicron cases through community transmission by the end of the month.
He adds that there is a credible risk the NHS could be completely overwhelmed and that is why the government had to act.

New curbs and a new revolt

Iain Watson - Political correspondent
New restrictions are on the way - but so too is a new revolt in Conservative ranks at Westminster.
Privately, and in some cases publicly, MPs questioned the timing of the prime minister's news conference.
As questions persisted about what went on behind Downing Street's black door a year ago, it seemed to some of Boris Johnson's Conservative colleagues that he was trying to divert attention towards what will happen this Christmas, instead what happened last Christmas inside No 10.
But the PM insisted that the increased transmissibility of Omicron meant he had to act - and he could no longer wait for the data he had previously said was needed on how serious the threat from the new variant was.

What measures are in place in the rest of the UK?

Plan B measures only apply to England, as other nations have the power to set their own Covid rules.
However, many of the same restrictions are already in place in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

• In Scotland, face coverings are compulsory in indoor settings such as shops, hospitality venues and public transport, while all over-18s are required to prove their Covid status to enter nightclubs and other large events.
  
• In Wales, face coverings are also compulsory in most indoor public places - although not in pubs and restaurants - and the NHS Covid pass is needed for nightclubs, cinemas, theatres, concert halls and large events.
  
• In Northern Ireland there are even stricter rules. A maximum of 30 people from different households can meet indoors in domestic settings and face coverings are compulsory in places including shops, indoor seated venues, visitor attractions and public transport. Covid passports are also required for venues including nightclubs, bars and cinemas.
  

 

Boris and Carrie Johnson announce birth of daughter

It's been a busy 24 hours for the prime minister, who faced questions about a party at No 10 before announcing new Plan B restrictions for England yesterday.
And now it's been announced that earlier today his wife, Carrie Johnson, gave birth to a baby girl, their second child since he became prime minister.
"Both mother and daughter are doing very well, The couple would like to thank the brilliant NHS maternity team for all their care and support," a spokeswoman said.

Brazil reports 10,055 new coronavirus cases

Brazil has reported 10,055 new cases of the coronavirus in the past 24 hours, and 233 deaths from Covid-19, the health ministry said on Wednesday.
The South American country has now registered 22,167,781 cases since the pandemic began, while the official death toll has risen to 616,251, according to ministry data. It is the world’s second-deadliest outbreak outside the United States.
With 85% of adults now fully vaccinated, the rolling 14-day average of Covid-19 deaths has fallen to 208 per day, compared to the toll of almost 3,000 a day at the peak of the pandemic in April.

South Africa has reported nearly 20,000 new Covid-19 cases on Wednesday,
a record since the Omicron variant was detected, and 36 new Covid-related deaths.
A total of 19,842 new cases was reported by the National Institute for Communicable Diseases, a daily change of 50%.

France may introduce a fourth Covid vaccine booster shot, the government’s top Covid-19 adviser Jean-Francois Delfraissy has said.
“The peak is clearly not behind us, the pandemic continues to gain ground,” government spokesman Gabriel Attal said during a press briefing on Wednesday, Reuters reports.
France, whose adult population is more than 90% fully vaccinated, is hoping a national campaign inviting everyone over age 18 to get a third vaccine - or booster shot - as fast as possible will avoid the need for tougher curbs on daily life.
Jean-Francois Delfraissy said:

For now, there’s a call for one booster shot. Will that be enough? I don’t know. Maybe we’ll need a fourth shot.”

The latest seven-day average of new confirmed new infections set a new 2021 high of more than 44,500 on Tuesday.

China has reported 83 new confirmed coronavirus cases for Wednesday, 8 December, up from 74 a day earlier, its health authority said on Thursday.
Of the new infections, 60 were locally transmitted, according to a statement by the National Health Commission as seen by Reuters, compared with 44 a day earlier.
The new local cases were reported by authorities in Inner Mongolia, Zhejiang, Heilongjiang, Jiangsu, and Yunnan.
China reported 33 new asymptomatic cases, which it classifies separately from confirmed cases, compared with 23 a day earlier.
There were no new deaths, leaving the total death toll at 4,636.

South Korea reports a further 7,102 confirmed cases in past 24 hours
A quick update from South Korea following recent figures released by the ministry of health.
An additional 7,102 confirmed cases were reported over the past 24 hours and 57 deaths.
About 83.4 % of the eligible population has received one Covid vaccine dose and 80.8 % has received at least two doses.

Cuba has detected its first case of the Omicron Covid variant, according to Cuban state media agency ACN.
The case was identified in a person who had travelled from Mozambique.
The traveller, a health worker that resides in Cuba’s Pinar del Rio province, returned to the Caribbean island on 27 November and tested positive for Covid-19 the following day, according to the ACN report.
Health officials are monitoring the traveler’s contacts since arriving in Cuba, ACN said.
The Caribbean nation previously tightened travel rules for inbound international passengers arriving from southern African nations, requiring travellers to show vaccination certificates and negative results of PCR tests taken within 72 hours before arrival.
In addition, arrivals are required to take PCR tests on arrival and on the sixth day of their visits as well as to stay in quarantine hotels for a week at their own expense.

Omicron spreads to 57 countries but too early to tell if variant more infectious, WHO says
Melissa Davey - The Guardian
The Omicron variant of Covid-19 has now been reported in 57 countries and continues to spread rapidly in South Africa, the World Health Organization (WHO) says.
But the latest epidemiological report from WHO says given the Delta variant remains dominant, particularly in Europe and the US, it is still too early to draw any conclusions about the global impact of Omicron.
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control has predicted that the Omicron variant could become the dominant variant in Europe within months.
For now, though, the Delta variant continues to dominate cases, and more data is needed to determine Omicron’s infectiousness and severity, WHO says.
“While there seems to be evidence that the Omicron variant may have a growth advantage over other circulating variants, it is unknown whether this will translate into increased transmissibility,” the WHO report said.
Read the fully story here.

India has released its Covid figures for today
A total of 9,419 new coronavirus cases were reported in the last 24 hours, according to the ministry of health.
It is so far unclear how many deaths were also reported during the past day.

G'day - it's really great to see you again
Ben Doherty - The Guardian
Australia’s strict border closures became the subject of international criticism throughout the pandemic.
Findings from a national audit office report now reveals Australian families separated by international border closures during the pandemic were frustrated by inconsistencies from government decision makers on travel exemptions.
The department of home affairs also failed to give applicants specific reasons about why applications for travel exemptions were refused. Nor did the department have an adequate review process in place.
An audit of Australia’s international travel restrictions between March 2020 and June 2021 found the department’s management of those restrictions during the Covid-19 pandemic had “been largely effective”.
But it found decisions on exemptions made by home affairs officers were not consistent with the department’s own policies.
A sample of 71 inward travel exemption cases finalised between August 2020 and March this year showed 12 decisions (17%) were not consistent with policy requirements.
The auditors found:

Decisions about inward travel exemptions have not consistently been managed in accordance with policies and procedures.”

Home Affairs spent $2.85m on an online travel exemption portal for prospective arrivals to provide relevant documentation to support their case.
Yet, the audit office found the decision-making framework still allowed officers “considerable discretion” when assessing applications.

Pakistan detects its first case of Omicron variant
Authorities in Pakistan have detected the first case of the Omicron variant of coronavirus in the South Asian nation, a provincial health ministry official told Reuters on Thursday.
The spokesperson in the southern province of Sindh said the infection was found in an unvaccinated patient being treated at a private hospital in Pakistan’s most populous city of Karachi.
The patient had travelled abroad, said the official, who gave no details of the location, but added that contact tracing was underway.

China grants emergency approval for its first Covid drug

China’s drug authority has granted emergency approval for the country’s first specialised treatment against Covid-19, found in clinical trials to significantly reduce hospitalisations and deaths among high-risk patients, Agence France-Presse reports.
China has several conditionally approved vaccines as well, but their published efficacy rates lag behind rival jabs developed in other countries.
In an official notice published Wednesday, China’s National Medical Products Administration said it has granted “emergency approval” for a monoclonal antibody treatment.
A monoclonal antibody is a type of protein that attaches to the spike protein of the coronavirus, reducing its ability to enter the body’s cells.
The treatment involves a combination of two drugs, administered through injections, and can be used to treat certain cases that are at risk of progressing in severity, the drug authority said.
It was co-developed by Tsinghua University, the Third People’s Hospital of Shenzhen and Brii Biosciences.
Trial data showed that the combination therapy could reduce the risk of hospitalisation and death in high-risk patients by around 80%, Tsinghua University said in a statement on social media late Wednesday.
A state media report last month added that the treatment has also been used on patients infected in local flare-ups.

Japan's Covid cases defy Asia rebound

Japan’s Covid-19 infections are falling in contrast with rebounds in other parts of Asia, baffling experts.
New daily infections have slowed to fewer than one per million people, the fewest among major economies except China, and there have been very few fatalities recorded in recent days.
One new hypothesis to explain the divergence is that the type of coronavirus dominant in Japan evolved in a way that short-circuited its ability to replicate.
Ituro Inoue, a professor at Japan’s National Institute of Genetics, said that a subvariant of Delta, known as AY.29, now may be conferring some immunity in the population.
“I think AY.29 is protecting us from other strains,” Inoue told Reuters, cautioning that his research remained a theory. “I’m not 100% confident.”
Japan’s late start on vaccination means that the potency of the shots are still strong. Others point to seasonal trends, that the virus tends to crest and fall in two-month intervals.

UK’s renewed Covid fight must not come at cost of cancer patients, medics say

Andrew Gregory - The Guardian
Health experts have expressed fears over the impact tighter Covid restrictions in England could have on cancer patients as alarming new figures reveal that the number taking part in clinical trials plummeted by almost 60% during the pandemic.
Almost 40,000 cancer patients in England were “robbed” of the chance to take part in life-saving trials during the first year of the coronavirus crisis, according to a report by the Institute of Cancer Research (ICR), which said Covid-19 had compounded longstanding issues of trial funding, regulation and access.
Figures obtained from the National Institute for Health Research by the ICR show that the number of patients recruited on to clinical trials for cancer in England fell to 27,734 in 2020-21, down 59% from an average of 67,057 over the three years previously. The number of patients recruited for trials fell for almost every type of cancer analysed.
Health experts said the relentless impact of Covid on the ability of doctors and scientists to run clinical trials was denying many thousands of cancer patients access to the latest treatment options and delaying the development of cutting-edge drugs.
Read the full story here.

What new Covid restrictions are coming into force in England?
Peter Walker - The Guardian
Here’s a reminder of what those new “Plan B” rules are for England.

• From Friday face masks will be a legal requirement in most public indoor areas such as theatres and cinemas, with exemptions for eating and drinking in hospitality venues.
  
• People must work from home where possible from Monday
  
• From Wednesday vaccine passports available to the double-vaccinated on the NHS app will be necessary for those wanting to attend large, potentially crowded venues such as nightclubs. Proof of a negative lateral flow test will also be accepted.
  
• However, people are being told they can still attend Christmas parties and nativity plays, and nightclubs will remain open.
  

These rules broadly bring England into line with rules that have continued to be in place in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The health secretary, Sajid Javid, is doing the UK media round today, after yesterday’s no show. I’ll being you the key points from those interviews.
Read more here.

Raab and Shapps in isolation after close contact with Australian deputy PM
Aubrey Allegretti - The Guardian
Two UK cabinet ministers have gone into isolation after being in close contact with the Australian deputy prime minister, Barnaby Joyce, who later tested positive for Covid.
Dominic Raab, the deputy prime minister and justice secretary, and Grant Shapps, the transport secretary, pulled out of events after their contact with Joyce when he visited London earlier this week.
Joyce, who is fully vaccinated, has since left the UK and only tested positive once he was in Washington.
In an interview on Sky News, Joyce said he did not know when he acquired Covid-19 – but that the UK was crowded with people preparing for Christmas and going shopping. “You wouldn’t think there’s a pandemic on in areas of the UK,” he noted.
Read more here.

What are the Covid rules and guidelines in the four nations of the UK?
The UK government has rushed in plan B Covid restrictions in England after confirming that cases of the new Omicron variant are doubling every three days or faster. It brings England closer in line with elsewhere in the UK, but rules and guideline still vary between England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
For England, Boris Johnson announced four new measures as part of the move to plan B:

• From Friday 10 December the legal requirement to wear face masks in shops and on public transport will be extended to most public indoor venues, including theatres and cinemas. But you will not have to wear masks in cafes, restaurants or pubs.
  
• From Monday 13 December people have been urged to work from home. “Go to work if you must but work from home if you can,” Johnson said.
  
• From Wednesday 15 December the NHS Covid pass or negative lateral flow test will be mandatory in nightclubs and other large venues. The venues are listed as: nightclubs; indoor unseated venues with more than 500 people; unseated outdoor venues with more than 4,000 people; any venue with more than 10,000 people.
  
• Daily tests for contacts of people suspected of having the Omicron variant will be introduced to replace the current isolation rules. But until the new tests are available, contacts of suspected Omicron cases will be required to self-isolate for 10 days, regardless of their age or vaccination status. Anyone who tests positive for Covid is still required to self-isolate.
  

These measures are in addition to the existing travel restrictions requiring anyone entering the UK to take a PCR or lateral flow test within 48 hours of departure. Travellers also have to take a PCR test within 48 hours of arrival in the UK and self-isolate until they have a negative result.
Read more here.

Austria to make Covid vaccination compulsory
The Austrian government is due to announce details of a plan to make Covid vaccination compulsory, which according to officials will include a minimum age of at least 14 and a fine over €3,000, but not prison, for holdouts.
The health minister, Wolfgang Mückstein, and the minister for constitutional affairs, Karoline Edtstadler, said this week the specifics were subject to change in talks with experts and opposition parties. However, the scheduling of an announcement for Thursday suggested major shifts were unlikely.
Since the conservative chancellor Karl Nehammer took office on Monday, Mückstein and Edstadler have repeated that there will be no jail terms for those who still refuse to get vaccinated even once this becomes compulsory in February.
In an interview with national broadcaster ORF on Tuesday, Edtstadler stopped short of confirming media reports that the minimum age would be 14, but said the government had received legal advice that it would be hard to set the age lower than that, adding that children below 14 would be exempt.

We have set a maximum fine of 3,600 euros but I emphasise again that we are still in discussions with experts because of course the fine should be dissuasive, but it should not be so dissuasive that we generate more resistance...

While some countries have introduced vaccine requirements for parts of their populations like health workers, Austria is the first European Union member state to announce a general requirement.
There will be exceptions for some categories of people like pregnant women, Edtstadler said.
A news conference with Edtstadler and Mueckstein is due to be held at 1pm, the government announced on Thursday morning.

---

Today so far

• The Omicron variant of Covid-19 has now been reported in 57 countries and continues to spread rapidly in South Africa, the World Health Organization (WHO) says. However, they maintain it is too early to tell if it is more infectious.
  
• Prof Alejandro Cravioto of WHO has warned that in the context of ongoing global supply constraints, “broad-based administration of booster doses risks exacerbating inequities in vaccine access.”
  
• WHO also said wealthy countries donating Covid-19 vaccines with a relatively short shelf life has been a “major problem” for the Covax dose sharing programme.
  
• Kate O’Brien, the WHO’s vaccine director, warned that in the face of the Omicron variant, there is a risk that wealthy countries go back to hoarding vaccine supplies.
  
• Travel bans imposed on African countries are likely to affect supplies of materials needed for the fight against Covid-19 to the continent, the head of the Africa Centres for Disease Control, John Nkengasong, has said.
  
• Denmark has decided that school students up to the 10th grade must study remotely for the last few days before Christmas and ordered nightclubs, bars and restaurants to close at midnight in an attempt to counter an uptick in cases. Prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, warned there was “a significant risk of critically overloading the health service.”
  
• Two UK cabinet ministers – Dominic Raab and Grant Shapps – have gone into isolation after being in close contact with the Australia’s deputy prime minister, Barnaby Joyce, who has tested positive for Covid while in Washington, following his UK trip.
  
• British prime minister Boris Johnson imposed tougher Covid-19 restrictions in England, ordering people to work from home, wear masks in public places and use vaccine passes to slow the spread of the Omicron variant.
  
• The Democratic-controlled US Senate approved a Republican measure that would overturn president Joe Biden’s Covid-19 vaccine-or-test mandate for private businesses, with two Democrats joining Republicans to back the initiative.
  

Wales to hear about Covid restrictions on Friday

Caleb Spencer - BBC Wales
People in Wales will find out on Friday whether there will be any changes to Covid restrictions in First Minister Mark Drakeford’s latest review.
Wales’ current restrictions are broadly the same as those set out in the UK government’s Plan B for England.
“Covid passes have been in place in Wales since October, face coverings continue to be a requirement in most indoor public settings, and we have encouraged people to work from home throughout the pandemic,” the Welsh government said.
But Andrew RT Davies, the leader of the Welsh Conservatives in the Senedd, appears to be at odds with Boris Johnson on one element of Plan B.
He said in a tweet there was “no evidence” that Covid passes stop the spread of coronavirus, and that the Welsh Conservatives would “continue to vote against their use (and any extension) in Wales”.

Sturgeon: I know you’re angry with politicians, but please comply

Debbie Jackson - BBC Scotland
Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon says the rise in case numbers is a significant challenge and says she expects them to increase and for Omicron to account for a bigger percentage of them.
The SNP leader couldn’t resist a tweet about England’s Plan B restrictions last night, saying: "All these protections are already in place in Scotland.”
But she made the point that even though these measures helped get Delta cases down, the big question is whether these protections will be strong enough against the rapidly-spreading Omicron.
Alluding to the Downing Street party row, she said: “Even if you feel angry with a politician just now, please remember just how important compliance is for the health and safety of you, your loved ones and the country.”

The Lebanese health ministry is investigating what could be the country’s first two cases of the Omicron variant in passengers tested upon arrival at the airport, AFP reports.
“Two cases detected in airport testing” are suspected to be Omicron, the health minister Firass Abiad told a press conference.
He said both passengers had flown in from the African continent and had been placed in quarantine. The minister did not specify which country or countries they had arrived from.
The two people were “in good health” and experiencing mild symptoms, Abiad said.
Lebanon reported 1,994 new Covid cases on Wednesday, one of the country’s highest figures for a single day since the start of the pandemic, the minister said.
Abiad voiced concern over a resurgence of the virus. The country’s ailing health system, in the midst of a severe financial crisis, was even less prepared to handle than during previous waves.
When cases surged in late 2020, the influx of critical patients had brought Lebanon’s hospitals to breaking point.
A worsening depreciation of the local currency and the mass emigration of health workers has only made the situation worse.
Last week, Lebanon declared a nighttime curfew for the unvaccinated ahead of and during the holiday season, in a bid to stem a recent rise in infections and as a precaution against the new variant.
Lebanon has recorded more 683,000 cases of Covid-19 since the start of the pandemic two years ago and 8,804 deaths, according to government figures.

No further restrictions imminent in Northern Ireland

Only three Omicron cases have been confirmed in Northern Ireland, where there are no plans to further tighten restrictions before Christmas.
Rules on face coverings and work-from-home advice have been in place since 2020.
And a vaccine passport scheme requires people to show proof of vaccination or a negative test to enter venues where alcohol is served.
But an increase in Omicron cases is still anticipated, and the longer-term picture is less rosy.
Stormont leaders warn it is inevitable increased Omicron transmission will hit the local economy as well as the health service.
They are urging people to come forward for boosters - or an initial vaccine if they still haven't had one.
Mandatory vaccinations are not on the cards, however, with the economy minister saying that's not an "appropriate conversation".

Latest developments so far

Here are the main stories so far today:

• Plan B measures - including masks in more public places, Covid passes for large venues and guidance to work from home - will be introduced in England to tackle the Omicron variant
  
• UK Health Secretary Sajid Javid says the new rules in England will buy time against the Omicron variant amid a "credible risk" of a crisis in the NHS
  
• Tory MP Marcus Fysh calls plans to introduce Covid passports as a requirement to enter some venues “draconian” and “a disgrace”
  
• An industry body warns mandatory Covid passes will have a devastating impact on night time venues
  
• Meanwhile, an official investigation into government staff parties is to focus on three events that took place last year
  
• The Metropolitan Police says it is not investigating allegations Downing Street staff broke Covid rules in December last year due to "an absence of evidence"
  
• Australia's deputy prime minister has tested positive for coronavirus after visiting the UK earlier this week
  
  

NHS already under huge strain

Nick Triggle - Health Correspondent
The rise of the Omicron variant has prompted warnings that pressure on hospitals may be about to increase.
But the latest data on NHS performance shows the health service is already under huge strain.
During November more than a quarter of people arriving at A&E waited over four hours. In some areas nearly half of patients were waiting longer than they should.
Those that need to be admitted on to a ward are increasingly facing delays, or sleeping on chairs or trolleys, because there are no beds available.
More than a fifth of ambulance crews faced delays handing over patients to hospital staff during the first week of December.
NHS England said the health service had experienced one of its busiest ever months. They pointed to data showing more than one in 10 beds are occupied by patients who no longer need care, but cannot leave because there is no support available in the community.
You can find out more about how hospitals in your area are doing, with our NHS Tracker.

How will Plan B affect the economy?

Ben King - Business reporter, BBC News
The measures announced for England are much less stringent than those announced last winter.
Economies around the world have got used to operating under Covid restrictions. Businesses have adapted and workers learned how to operate from home. Many never went back to the office.
But for individual companies in particular sectors, the impact could be more severe.
The Night Time Industries Association, which represents nightclubs, has already warned of a "devastating impact" from mandatory Covid passes.
And if office workers stay home, it will hurt the businesses which cater to their needs - from the shops that sell lunches to the dry cleaners who press their suits.
Read more on the impact of Plan B on businesses here.

Travel restrictions futile now Omicron spreading in UK - airlines

Airlines are calling for restrictions on international travel to be rolled back now Omicron is spreading in the UK.
Tim Alderslade, chief executive of Airlines UK, says it is now known there are many cases of Omicron that are independent of international travel.
"The health secretary understands well that travel restrictions are utterly futile when we have community transmission and that’s why we’re pushing hard for these latest, emergency restrictions to be rolled back at the 20 December review," he says.
Yesterday, Health Secretary Sajid Javid said that “very soon, in the days and weeks that lie ahead, if - as I think is likely... this variant [Omicron] becomes the dominant variant, I think there’s less need to have any kind of travel restrictions at all.”
Under new rules in response to the emergence of Omicron, arrivals to the UK must show proof of a negative test taken in the two days before departure.

UK records 249 new Omicron cases

The UK has recorded 249 new cases of the Omicron variant, taking the total number of cases recorded to 817.
Of these, 248 cases were in England and one in Scotland.
However, official figures are almost certainly an underestimate as not all UK labs can detect whether a case is Omicron and not everyone will have come forward for testing.
Yesterday, Health Secretary Sajid Javid told the Commons the true number of Omicron cases in the UK was likely to be around 10,000.
And this morning, he said if cases of the variant continued to double at the same rate, the total number of cases was likely to to hit one million by the end of the month.

What are the rules for face masks in England?

Face coverings will be compulsory in more indoor venues in England from Friday, here are the places you'll need them:

• Cinemas and theatres
  
• Places of worship
  
• Shops, public transport and stations
  
• Hairdressers, tattoo studios and nail bars
  
• Post offices and banks
  
• Estate agents
  
• Vet surgeries
  
• Takeaways
  
• Pharmacies
  
• Auction houses
  
• Taxis
  
• Driving lessons and tests
  

Similar rules have already been introduced in other parts of the UK.

Plan B feels like cover for No 10 party row - bakery chain owner

Luke Johnson, part owner of bakery chain Gail's, has questioned whether the move to Plan B Covid-19 measures might be a "cover" as the prime minister comes under pressure over alleged rule-breaking parties at Downing Street.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4's World At One, he said: "It feels like it is a cosmetic device really, possibly instituted for political reasons as a cover for other stuff going on."
Asked whether he was linking it to recent allegations about a Number 10 Christmas party held last year, he said: "Well, they haven't provided any evidence that very recent hospitalisations or indeed deaths have risen such that this is necessary or proportionate."
"So, yet again, it feels as if our lives are put on hold and businesses are being made to suffer - by the way, without the compensation that was previously available - because the scientists and the politicians feel better safe than sorry, even if it causes us vast collateral damage."
Earlier the Health Secretary Sajid Javid said the move to Plan B was an attempt to "buy time" to avoid the threat of a million Omicron infections by the end of the year.
He said the government had seen data earlier this week that persuaded them that action needed to be taken.

At least three fined for gatherings on same day as No 10 party

Dominic Casciani - Home Affairs Correspondent
At least three people who held or went to unlawful gatherings on the same day as a Christmas party at No 10 last December have been fined by courts this month, according to records.
The cases, first reported by the London Evening Standard, reveal fines for breaching the coronavirus regulations that restricted gatherings in London - which was under Tier 3 rules - on 18 December 2020.
Ami Goto, a 23-year-old from west London, was last week fined £1,100 plus court costs after Westminster Magistrates Court found that she had, without reasonable excuse, participated in a gathering in a flat in Holborn, central London, on 18 December.
Ebru Sen, 26, of Sittingbourne, Kent, was also fined for being at the same gathering.
In a third case, Emilia Petruta-Cristea, 24, of Wanstead, east London, was also fined £1,100 for being part of an illegal gathering at her own home.
Last night, the Metropolitan Police said it was not investigating the 18 December gathering at Downing Street because of an "absence of evidence". The prime minister has repeatedly said no rules were broken.

Quarantine hotel guests 'crowded into lifts' after fire alarm

A couple in hotel quarantine at Gatwick have described the "total chaos" of a fire alarm evacuation earlier today when people who were isolating due to the Omicron variant were "crowded into lifts".
Chris Styles and his partner Suzanne, from Hampshire, are staying at the Sofitel London Gatwick hotel after returning from South Africa, where his father passed away on 5 December.
When the alarm sounded at 07:45 he says no one knew what to do and there were no staff or security guards to direct them.
"We did find the stairs, got down and there was chaos outside hotel. People half dressed, huddled together, it was a super spreader event. There was zero leadership," he says.

Guests were outside for an hour and staff brought silver thermal blankets but no register was taken, he says.
"The emergency services arrived and began checking the hotel, then we were just pushed back inside. Someone collapsed in the foyer, and we were all crowded into lifts to get back to our rooms."
We have asked Sofitel's owners Accor for a comment.

More than 20 Tory MPs say they will vote against Plan B

Darren Henry has become the latest Tory MP to say he will vote against the government's Plan B measures in Parliament next week.
In a video posted in Twitter, the MP for Broxtowe says that while he supports working from home where possible, wearing masks and rolling out booster vaccines, his constituents have made it very clear they will not support the use of Covid passports.
Our political editor Laura Kuennsberg says she now makes it 22 Tory MPs who have publicly said they will vote against the measures, with at least a dozen more expressing serious concerns.

Red list won't be here for a moment longer than necessary - Shapps

Katy Austin - Business Correspondent
The UK's travel red list was reintroduced last week to help slow the spread of the Omicron variant of the Covid-19 virus.
But Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has said he doesn’t want the system - and hotel quarantine, in place “for a moment longer than necessary”.
He says a time will come, “probably no more than days or a short number of weeks away”, where the government would want to review and potentially remove countries from the red list. Possibly all of them.
Shapps says red-listing was brought to combat Omicron, but that as the variant spread out, the government accepted “the inevitability that it the end it gets everywhere, exactly as Delta did”.
Some 11 African countries are currently on the Red List. All travellers age 12 and must take a Covid test within 48 hours of setting off for the UK from any destination. People are also required to take a PCR test within two days of arrival.

The evidence that persuaded ministers to move to Plan B

Nick Triggle - Health Correspondent

A parliamentary commission grilled Denmark’s prime minister on Thursday over her government’s illegal decision last year to cull all farmed minks nationwide over fears of a new coronavirus variant, which she insisted was the “right” thing to do.
Formerly the world’s leading exporter of mink fur, the Scandinavian country in November last year controversially decided to kill all of its 15-17 million minks after studies suggested the variant found in some of the animals could jeopardise the effectiveness of future vaccines.
A large crowd of protesters gathered outside the court in Copenhagen, booing the prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, as she arrived.
“We unfortunately had to make a decision a year ago to cull all minks, and that was the right decision,” Frederiksen told reporters before rushing into the courtroom where the hearing was held.
The commission is seeking to determine whether the prime minister was aware that the order had no legal basis - a fact that emerged soon after the cull was underway and led the country’s agriculture minister to resign.
“It was in my view crucial that we acted quickly,” the prime minister told the hearing, adding that she knew the decision would be devastating for the industry.
At the time, the government only had the authority to ask mink farmers in the seven municipalities affected by the mutation to cull their minks.
An agreement was reached retroactively, rendering the government’s decision legal, and the nationwide cull went ahead as planned.
Prior to the cull, Denmark was also the world’s second largest producer of mink fur after China.
At the outset of her hearing, Frederiksen stressed that government decisions are made by the relevant cabinet ministers, even though she formally announced the cull.
A specially appointed parliamentary commission has since April been scrutinising the government’s decision and all documents related to it, as well as questioning witnesses to dissect the decision-making process.
Ultimately, the commission will decide whether to recommend Frederiksen’s impeachment before a special court that judges the actions of cabinet members while in office.
Frederiksen has maintained that she did not know her decision was unlawful, and has insisted that it was “based on a very serious risk assessment”.
In October, controversy around the decision was reignited when it was revealed that Frederiksen’s text messages from the time had disappeared.
Her office said they had been automatically deleted after 30 days for security reasons.
But many politicians greeted the claim with scepticism. Only two of the 51 ministers and ex-ministers interviewed by public broadcaster DR said they had the same setting installed on their phones while in office.
The commission called on police and intelligence services to help, but they were unable to recover the text messages.
Media and lawmakers have repeatedly questioned Frederiksen on the issue.
A few weeks after the cull in the North Jutland region in northwestern Denmark, where many mink farms were concentrated, the mutation was declared “very likely extinct”.
The Danish parliament later passed an emergency law which banned the breeding of the mammals in 2021, which was then extended to 2022, a blow to the industry.
Mink is the only animal so far confirmed to be capable of both contracting Covid-19 and recontaminating humans.

Pubs bracing for disastrous December after Covid plan B adopted in England
Kalyeena Makortoff - The Guardian
The price of a pint could rise by about 10p as a result of the latest Covid restrictions for England, according to the chairman of the City Pub Group who said Christmas party cancellations had risen since the move to plan B was announced on Wednesday.
Clive Watson said the cost of a pint was already on course to rise by about 25p as a result of higher costs, including energy and wage bills, but that weaker than expecting trading over the key Christmas period would lead to further hikes.
“From about 10 days ago, office parties started to get cancelled, particularly those office parties which were being funded by companies, so typically parties for 40 to 50 people,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
While some companies had postponed their celebrations until the new year when there may be more certainty, others had cancelled their parties outright.
“After yesterday’s announcement, that has again accelerated, so we’ve seen … a meaningful drop off in those types of bookings”, Watson said.
It could result in further pain for chains such as City Pub Group, which has 50 pubs in market towns and cities nationwide.
“Not only are you not making the money, but you’re not building out the cash to help you in the very lean periods in January and February … It’s almost like just taking off the life support machine,” he said.
“Energy prices have gone through the roof. Labour prices … have also gone up significantly. Inflation is running at 5%. A price of beer in London could be £5. So that comes out at 25p but probably has to increase even more over the course next year.
“But … now we haven’t got the Christmas froth that we were anticipating and somehow we have got to try and recoup that,” Watson said. “[So that’s] probably another 10p.”
He joined a chorus of hospitality bosses now calling for government support to help prop up the sector amid restrictions that include work-from-home orders, which could reduce footfall in city centre establishments over the crucial Christmas period, which makes up a third of some businesses’ annual profits.
Read more here.

Italian who presented fake arm for Covid jab ‘has since been vaccinated’
An Italian dentist who presented a fake arm for a Covid vaccine says he has since been jabbed and that the vaccine “is the best weapon we have against this terrible disease”.
Dr Guido Russo faces possible criminal fraud charges for having worn an arm made out of silicone when he first showed up at a vaccine hub in the northern city of Biella. Italy has required doctors and nurses to be vaccinated since earlier this year.
Russo insisted during a Wednesday night appearance on Italian talkshow La7 that he was not trying to defraud the government nor dupe anyone because the arm was obviously not real. He said he wanted to make a personal protest against vaccine mandates.
Here is the full story from AP.

CDC chief says Omicron is ‘mild’ as early data comes in on US spread of variant
More than 40 people in the US have been found to be infected with the Omicron variant so far, and more than three-quarters of them had been vaccinated, the chief of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has said. But she added nearly all of them were only mildly ill.
In an interview with the Associated Press, Dr Rochelle Walensky, director of the CDC, said the data is very limited and the agency is working on a more detailed analysis of what the new mutant form of the coronavirus might hold for the US.
“What we generally know is the more mutations a variant has, the higher level you need your immunity to be … we want to make sure we bolster everybody’s immunity. And that’s really what motivated the decision to expand our guidance,” Walensky said, referencing the recent approval of booster shots for all adults.
She said “the disease is mild” in almost all of the cases seen so far, with reported symptoms mainly cough, congestion and fatigue. One person was hospitalised, but no deaths have been reported, CDC officials said.
Some cases can become increasingly severe as days and weeks pass, and Walensky noted that the data is a very early, first glimpse of US omicron infections. The earliest onset of symptoms of any of the first 40 or so cases was 15 November, according to the CDC.
The first US case was reported on 1 December. As of Wednesday afternoon, the CDC had recorded 43 cases in 19 states. Most were young adults. About a third of those patients had traveled internationally.
More than three-quarters of those patients had been vaccinated, and a third had boosters, Walensky said. Boosters take about two weeks to reach full effect, and some of the patients had received their most recent shot within that period, CDC officials said.
Fewer than 1% of the US Covid cases genetically sequenced last week were Omicron; the Delta variant accounted for more than 99%.
The CDC has yet to make any projections on how the variant could affect the course of the pandemic in the US. Walensky said officials are gathering data but many factors could influence how the pandemic evolves.
“When I look to what the future holds, so much of that is definitely about the science, but it’s also about coming together as a community to do things that prevent disease in yourself and one another. And I think a lot of what our future holds depends on how we come together to do that,” she said.
The CDC is also trying to establish whether Omicron causes milder – or more severe – illness than other variants. The finding that nearly all of the cases so far are mild may be a reflection that this first look at US omicron cases captured mainly vaccinated people, who are expected to have milder illnesses, CDC officials said.
Another key question is whether it is better at evading vaccines or the immunity people build from a bout with Covid-19.
Read more.

South African Covid cases up 255% in a week as Omicron spreads
Peter Beaumont - The Guardian
Covid cases in South Africa have surged by 255% in the past seven days but there is mounting anecdotal evidence that infections with the Omicron variant are provoking milder symptoms than in previous waves.
According to a South African private healthcare provider, the recent rise in infections – which includes the Omicron and Delta variants – has been accompanied by a much smaller increase in admissions to intensive care beds, echoing an earlier report from the country’s National Institute for Communicable Disease (NICD) [see 2.32pm.].
The World Health Organization said Africa currently accounted for 46% of reported Omicron cases globally.
South Africa’s president, Cyril Ramaphosa, has said that despite the global concern over Omicron, it was still unclear whether it was more transmissible or caused more severe disease, and he criticised western countries for imposing a travel ban on the country.
South Africa’s biggest private healthcare provider, Netcare, said data from its facilities indicated less severe Covid symptoms in the current fourth wave than in previous waves.
“Having personally seen many of our patients across our Gauteng hospitals, their symptoms are far milder than anything we experienced during the first three waves,” Netcare’s Richard Friedland told the Daily Maverick on Wednesday.
“Approximately 90% of Covid-19 patients currently in our hospitals require no form of oxygen therapy and are considered incidental cases. If this trend continues, it would appear that, with a few exceptions of those requiring tertiary care, the fourth wave can be adequately treated at a primary care level.”
Friedland said that in previous waves 26% of Netcare’s Covid patients were treated in high care and intensive care units.
Friedland’s comments echo earlier analysis from Dr Fareed Abdullah, of the South African Medical Research Council, who said many of the patients diagnosed with Covid in hospitals in badly hit Gauteng province and elsewhere were often “incidental” identifications in patients presenting with other conditions.
“The main observation that we have made over the last two weeks is that the majority of patients in the Covid wards have not been oxygen dependent. Sars-CoV-2 has been an incidental finding in patients that were admitted to the hospital for another medical, surgical or obstetric reason,” Abdullah said.
“A snapshot of 42 patients in the ward on 2 December reveals that 29 (70%) are not oxygen dependent. These patients are saturating well on room air and do not present with any respiratory symptoms. A significant early finding in this analysis is the much shorter average length of stay of 2.8 days for patients admitted to the Covid wards over the last two weeks, compared to an average length of stay of 8.5 days for the past 18 months.”
South African and other experts have said it is still too early in the Omicron outbreak to determine the longer-term course of the illness, and the younger population profile of South Africa means other countries may not necessarily see the same public health outcomes.
South Africa has struggled at times with initially distinguishing between Covid variants, with some testing equipment unable to quickly spot Omicron without sequencing.
Read more.

UK reports another 50,867 cases and 148 deaths
The UK has reported another 50,867 coronavirus cases and a further 148 deaths within 28 days of a positive test, according to the latest data from the government’s Covid dashboard.
That is compared to 51,342 infections and 161 fatalities reported in the 24 hours prior.

Stricter measures than plan B may be needed to rein in UK’s Omicron growth
Hannah Devlin - The Guardian
Work from home but keep going to Christmas parties: Boris Johnson’s advice has prompted questions about the logic behind plan B for England and left a lingering sense of confusion about the scale of the threat posed by the Omicron variant. So does the plan stand up to scrutiny?
Scientists say that making working from home a first line of defence, ahead of social gatherings, is not necessarily a frivolous choice. In the hierarchy of measures that can be deployed, working from home is an effective way to bring down people’s daily contacts and is relatively painless economically.
However, many fear that the threat posed by Omicron will require more than the first line of defence and that plan B does not go far enough.
“People working from home makes a lot of sense as it can massively reduce contacts at a population level,” says Dr Deepti Gurdasani, a clinical epidemiologist and senior lecturer at Queen Mary University of London. “Having said that, the other measure that has the largest effect is reducing gathering sizes. For me it makes no sense to be instituting working from home policies and saying go ahead with parties. That is frankly ridiculous.”
The problem is that we are on such a steep trajectory that hospitals could easily be overwhelmed by January, depending on how case numbers translate into severe illness. “What we are doing now is very unlikely to be sufficient,” said Gurdasani.
This view is hinted at in official advice to the government by the Scientific Pandemic Influenza Group on Modelling this week that outlines a number of scenarios the UK could face. Under the worst three scenarios, which together are judged to be almost inevitable for the UK, “very stringent measures” are expected to be needed to control the growth of infections.
Read more.

Austria's vaccine refusers will be fined every three months

Austria has seen widespread protests against vaccine mandates and further lockdown restrictions

Austria's conservative-led government has announced plans to make Covid-19 vaccinations compulsory.
The order, which must be approved by parliament, is due to take effect from February and will apply to everyone aged 14 and over. Those who continue to refuse to take the vaccine will be fined €3,600 (£3,077, $4,071) every three months.
Setting out the measures, the Minister for Constitutional Affairs Karoline Edtstadler and Health Minister Wolfgang Mueckstein said they were not intended to be punitive.
"We do not want to punish people who are not vaccinated. We want to win them over and convince them to get vaccinated," Edtstadler said.
Just 68% of Austria's population is fully vaccinated against Covid-19 and the country recently entered a lockdown to tackle a fourth wave of the virus.

Slovakia approves jab cash payment to over 60s

While Austria intends to fine people for not getting a vaccine, Slovakia is to give cash payments to people aged over 60 who agree to do so.
People in that age group receiving booster jabs by mid-January will get €300 (£257, $339), while all over-60s who sign up for the vaccine will be entitled to €200 (£171, $226).
The move is aimed at combating significant vaccine hesitancy in the country. Just 68% of people over-60 are fully vaccinated - well below the bloc's average of 88%.
Slovakia, with a population of 5.5 million, has been severely hit by the latest wave of the epidemic, forcing it to reintroduce lockdown measures as hospitalisations rise.

Ex-mayoral candidate faces calls to resign over ' raucous' party

Ex-mayoral candidate Shaun Bailey is facing calls to resign from a key London Assembly committee amid reports his team held a party during lockdown last year.
The Conservatives admitted an event organised by his mayoral campaign took place in its Westminster headquarters on 14 December 2020 when London was in Tier 2 and household mixing was banned.
Bailey, who is chairman of the police and crime committee, has not commented.
It comes amid the launch of an official probe into three government parties.
A Conservative Party spokesperson revealed on Wednesday that four members of Mr Bailey's campaign team were disciplined following the "unauthorised social gathering" in the basement last December, which was described as "raucous".

People in Scotland urged to defer Christmas parties

Laura Foster - BBC Health correspondent
People in Scotland are being urged to postpone their Christmas parties.
Public Health Scotland is concerned about the number of Covid-19 outbreaks, particularly those concerning Omicron.
Director of Public Health Science and Medical Director, Dr Nick Phin, says though there’s still a lot to learn about the new variant, there have been a number of Omicron outbreaks linked to parties.
“To help minimise the further spread of Covid-19, and Omicron in particular, I would strongly urge people to defer their Christmas parties to another time.
“I appreciate that everyone is keen to celebrate this festive season, particularly after the pressures of the last 20 months, but by postponing some plans we can all do our bit to protect ourselves and our loved ones.”

Malta to return to mandatory mask-wearing and bring forward boosters
Malta will return to mandatory mask-wearing in outdoor and indoor spaces as from Saturday, the health minister Chris Fearne said on Thursday.
The measure is being taken as a precaution to prevent any major increase in Covid-19 cases, although the Mediterranean island has not yet detected cases of the Omicron variant.
“It has been shown that masks, as well as booster doses, are effective to ward off the virus, including the new Omicron variant,” Fearne told media.
He added that the administration of booster doses was being brought forward and people will be eligible for the vaccine four months after having had their second jab, instead of six months, as was the case to date.
Children aged 5 to 11 will start getting their own vaccine from Tuesday.
Malta had 81 Covid cases on Thursday, with 26 patients needing hospitalisation.
Fearne said the situation was well under control and the government did not intend to introduce further restrictive measures, as long as everyone acted responsibly.
Malta has had one of the highest vaccination take-ups in the European Union, with well over 90% of the adult population vaccinated.

Michael Gove, the UK communities secretary, is self-isolating after coming into close contact with the Australian deputy prime minister, Barnaby Joyce, who later tested positive for coronavirus.
It is thought Gove does not have any Covid symptoms but he is taking precautions while waiting for the results of a test.
He is the third cabinet minister to have gone into isolation after coming into close contact with Joyce when he visited London this week - the others being the foreign secretary Dominic Raab and the transport secretary Grant Shapps - while they wait to hear if he is infected with the Omicron variant.
Under the law, close contacts of positive Covid cases do not have to isolate as long as they get a PCR test and the result comes back negative. However, anyone who is a close contact of someone confirmed or suspected of being infected with Omicron must take daily tests.
Read more here.

What's happened today?

This page is now coming to a close so here's a round up of what's been happening today:

• Health secretary Sajid Javid defended the government's move to Plan B as a way to "buy time" to understand the threat of Omicron better.
  
• But more than 20 MPs have said they will vote against the rules, which include the extension of mandatory face masks, Covid passes to enter some venues and advice to work from home.
  
• Meanwhile, an investigation into Christmas parties at Downing Street last year will look at three reported events, the Paymaster General told the House of Commons.
  
• The UK recorded 249 new cases of the Omicron variant, taking the total number of cases recorded to 817.
  
• There were 50,867 new coronavirus infections and 148 deaths within 28 days of a positive test, daily data for the UK shows.
  
• People in Scotland have been urged to defer any Christmas parties because of the number of Omicron cases linked to gatherings in the country so far.
  
• And Boris Johnson and his wife Carrie announced the arrival of a baby girl, with a spokesman saying the PM will take some time to be with his family.
  
• People and businesses in Scotland have been urged not to go ahead with parties over the festive period, in light of the rising number of cases of the Omicron variant. Public Health Scotland said the warning follows a number of outbreaks caused by Omicron were linked to Christmas parties. Dr Nick Phin, its director of public health science, said early evidence suggests Omicron is much more transmissible than previous variants, and postponing plans would help to “protect ourselves and our loved ones”.
  
• Michael Gove is the third UK government minister to enter isolation after coming into close contact with the Australian deputy prime minister, Barnaby Joyce, who later tested positive for coronavirus. Gove came into close contact with Joyce when he visited London this week, as did the foreign secretary Dominic Raab and the transport secretary Grant Shapps. They are isolating while they wait to hear if Joyce is infected with the Omicron variant. Story here.
  
• Malta will return to mandatory mask-wearing in outdoor and indoor spaces from Saturday as a precautionary measure amid fears over Omicron, the health minister Chris Fearne said. He added that the administration of booster doses was being brought forward and people would be eligible for the vaccine four months after having had their second jab, instead of six months, as was the case to date.
  Children aged 5 to 11 will start getting their own vaccine from Tuesday. The Mediterranean island has not yet detected cases of the Omicron variant. It has also had one of the highest vaccination take-ups in the European Union, with well over 90% of the adult population vaccinated.
  
• The US Food and Drug Administration authorised booster shots of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine for those aged 16 and 17, as public health officials have urged Americans to get the additional shots amid concerns about the Omicron variant. The emergency use authorisation (EUA) will allow 16- and 17-year-olds to receive their third shot at least six months after their second vaccine dose. Regulators from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) likely need to sign off on the shots before the teenagers can begin receiving the doses.
  
• Covid cases in South Africa surged by 255% in the past seven days but there is mounting anecdotal evidence that infections with the Omicron variant are provoking milder symptoms than in previous waves. South African and other experts have said it is still too early in the Omicron outbreak to determine the longer-term course of the illness, and the younger population profile of South Africa means other countries may not necessarily see the same public health outcomes. But early hospital data released by South Africa’s National Institute for Communicable Diseases shows fewer than a third of patients admitted for Covid during the latest wave linked to the Omicron variant are suffering severe illness, compared with two thirds in the early stages of the last two waves. And South Africa’s biggest private healthcare provider, Netcare, said data from its facilities indicated less severe Covid symptoms in the current fourth wave than in previous waves. More [url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2021/dec/09/covid-news-live-england-moves-to-plan-b-three-pfizer-shots-can-neutralise-omicron-lab-tests-show?filterKeyEvents=false&page=with:block-61b212748f08cfef2cf62ff8#:~:text=planned vaccine mandate-,4h ago,Omicron outbreak lower than in past waves%2C initial data suggests,-Show key events]here[/url] and here.
  
• Austria’s planned Covid vaccine mandate will will apply to people 14 and over and holdouts face fines of up to €3,600 (£3,080) every three months, the government announced. “We do not want to punish people who are not vaccinated. We want to win them over and convince them to get vaccinated,” the minister for constitutional affairs, Karoline Edtstadler, told a news conference with the health minister, Wolfgang Mückstein. The mandate, which must be approved by parliament, is due to start in February and last through January 2024. Two opposition parties support it, suggesting it will pass easily. There will be quarterly vaccination deadlines, Mückstein said, adding that the authorities will check a central vaccination register to see if members of the public are in it. “If that is not the case, proceedings will be brought. In regular proceedings the amount of the fine is €3,600,” Mückstein said, adding that fines would be means-tested. “As an alternative, the authorities have the option to impose a fine in shorter proceedings immediately after the vaccination deadline. Here the amount of the fine is €600,” he said, adding that if this was not paid it would lead to regular proceedings. There would be exemptions for pregnant women and people who could not get vaccinated for medical reasons.
  
• The EU medicines watchdog said preliminary data on Omicron suggested it may be more transmissible than Delta but cases appeared to be mostly mild. “However we need to gather more evidence to determine whether the spectrum of disease severity caused by Omicron is different to that of all the variants that have been circulating so far,” Marco Cavaleri, the head of biological threats to health and vaccines strategy at the European Medicines Agency, said said. “Only time will tell.” He said it appeared that the currently approved Covid vaccines were considerably less effective in neutralising Omicron, but “we need to gather a more precise picture around the level of immunity that can be retained”.
  
• More than 40 people in the US have been found to be infected with the Omicron variant so far, but nearly all of them were only mildly ill, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said. But, Dr Rochelle Walensky said, the data was very limited and the agency was working on a more detailed analysis of what the new mutant form of the coronavirus might hold for the US. More here.