Coronavirus - 20th December 2021

Summary for Monday, 20th December

• PM Boris Johnson is being urged by scientists to take further action to tackle the surging number of Covid cases
  
• Civil servants have prepared three options ranging in stringency for ministers, sources tell the BBC
  
• The cabinet is due to hold a virtual meeting on Monday afternoon
  
• Many Tory MPs are likely to oppose tighter restrictions and reports say cabinet ministers are divided, with some questioning the data
  
• Deputy PM Dominic Raab says he cannot rule out a Christmas lockdown - but the booster rollout makes this much less likely
  
• The No 10 parties saga continues with a photo of Johnson and others with wine and cheese in the No 10 garden during lockdown
  
• Downing Street says the picture, thought to be from May 2020 when outdoor socialising was restricted, was a work meeting
  
• Meanwhile, figures show shoppers avoided UK High Streets and city centres on the weekend before Christmas
  
• And a new Covid drug for vulnerable NHS patients is being offered from today
  

Good morning

Thank you for joining us for live coverage of coronavirus in the UK and around the world.
Here’s a look at this morning’s headlines:

• PM Boris Johnson is being urged to respond to the surging number of Covid cases
  
• Civil servants have prepared three options ranging in stringency for ministers to consider, sources tell the BBC
  
• Scientists insist immediate action is needed to stop hospital admissions in England reaching 3,000 a day
  
• But some Conservative MPs are likely to oppose further restrictions, which the health secretary refused to rule out ahead of Christmas
  
• The No 10 parties saga continues with a photo of the PM and others with wine and cheese in the No 10 garden during lockdown
  
• Downing Street says the picture, thought to be from May 2020 when outdoor socialising was restricted, was a work meeting
  
• Meanwhile, figures show shoppers avoided UK High Streets and city centres on the weekend before Christmas
  
• And hospitality businesses continue to call for help from the Treasury as bookings are cancelled
  

Here’s a round-up of all the developments you may have missed.

• The Netherlands entered a strict lockdown that meant the closure of non-essential stores, restaurants, hairdressers, gyms, museums and other public places until 14 January to push back the new wave.
  
• Germany followed France and tightened restrictions from Britain, mandating a 14-day quarantine for incoming travellers to avoid an Omicron wave.
  
• Pressure builds on UK prime minister Boris Johnson after the Guardian published a picture of him with wine and cheese in the No 10 garden, suggesting a social event, during a strict UK lockdown. No 10 insists the meeting was for work.
  
• Poland confirmed seven Omicron cases in total as an official warned the variant is spreading at “unprecedented rate”. A further 15,976 Covid cases were recorded.
  
• Peru, the country with the highest Covid deaths per capita and sixth-highest total death toll, detected its first four Omicron cases.
  
• The UK recorded above 80,000 new daily cases for only fourth time since pandemic began, and clocked another 12,000 Omicron cases – taking the tally to over 37,000. Health secretary Sajid Javid refused to rule out new restrictions on the Sunday broadcast round. Cases are up 72% in one week.
  
• Anthony Fauci, the top US infectious diseases expert, said the Omicron variant has “extraordinary spreading capabilities” and is “raging through the world”.
  
• Ireland said Omicron is now the dominant strain of Covid after an estimated 52% of its cases – 5,124 new cases on Sunday – were from the highly mutated variant.
  
• The head of Germany’s domestic intelligence agency warned of political violence from the country’s anti-vaccine movement with its connections to the far-right.
  
• Iran detected its first case of Omicron.
  
• Israel’s prime minister, Naftali Bennett, said on Sunday the country is in a fifth Covid wave and urged people to step up vaccinations.
  
• US Senator Elizabeth Warren tested positive for Covid after a routine test. She has mild symptoms.
  
• 30,000 people in Vienna, Austria commemorated the country’s 13,000 people who have died from the virus with a “sea of lights” march.
  
• Italy detected 24,259 new Covid infections, a 62% climb on the 15,010 new cases on Sunday two weeks ago.
  
• Sri Lanka will require Covid vaccine certificates for entry to public places from New Year’s Day.
  
• Russia recorded 27,967 new Covid infections, a 13% slide on the 32,031 new cases on Sunday two weeks ago.
  
• France reported 48,473 new Covid infections, a 15% climb on the 42,252 new cases detected on Sunday two weeks ago.
  
• Brazil’s health regulator Anvisa asked for greater law enforcement protection on Sunday after a flurry of threats following its decision to approve Covid vaccines for children aged five to 11. President Jair Bolsonaro, who has played down the virus’s risks, has publicly pressured the agency over the decision.
  

No 10 photo shows drinks after gruelling day - Raab

Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab is now talking to BBC Breakfast.
First off he's asked about the photograph of Boris Johnson and 17 members of staff having cheese and wine in the garden of No 10.
The Guardian, which published the picture, says it was taken in May 2020 when outdoor socialising was limited to one person from another household.
Raab says this was not a social event. He says the No 10 garden is used for work meetings and due to the pressures that everyone was going through, people would have something to drink on occasion at the end of a "gruelling" day.

Three options on the table

It's the question many are asking - are new restrictions going to be imposed in England to control Omicron, and if so, when?
Our chief political correspondent Adam Fleming tells us that civil servants have prepared a "menu of three options" that range in stringency, according to a Whitehall source. Ministers are yet to make a choice.
According to newspaper reports this morning, there are splits around the cabinet table, with some ministers - a third of the cabinet, according to The Times - questioning the accuracy of official modelling.

The Papers: No 10 garden gathering and hints at curbs

As we've reported, the Guardian has an exclusive photo which it says shows Boris Johnson, his wife and 17 staff members in the garden at Downing Street, during lockdown in May last year.

The paper says the wine, cheese, and lack of social distancing raise fresh questions about No 10's insistence it was a "work meeting". (More on that story here.)

The papers also consider whether more Covid rules in England before Christmas could be likely.


The Times says Chancellor Rishi Sunak is one of at least 10 cabinet ministers who are resisting calls from scientific advisers worried about the impact of the Omicron variant on hospital admissions.
It reports that a third of the cabinet have questioned the accuracy of the modelling used by scientists.


The Daily Telegraph agrees there is strong cabinet opposition to tougher measures, but it says the prime minister might urge the public to limit social mixing, without legal enforcement.

According to the Sun, the prime minister is "under massive pressure" from what it calls "gloomy scientists" to bring in fresh curbs including in pubs.

Read the full paper review.

Belgian protest against Covid measures turns violent

Belgian police intervened to disperse stone-throwing youths on Sunday after the latest protest march in Brussels turned violent against anti-coronavirus measures.
The crowd of around 3,500 mainly young, black-clad and hooded protesters marched from the Gare du Nord railway to a park in the city’s European quarter, AFP reported.
The protesters clashed with riot officers protecting the route to EU headquarters, where officials were meeting African leaders.
The stone- and bottle-throwers were dispersed back into the Jubilee Park by riot police, and plain clothes officers made several arrests, an AFP journalist saw.
Belgium is recording around 10,000 new Covid cases per day as the Omicron variant spreads in Europe, and authorities have again begun to tighten public health rules.
Prime Minister Alexander De Croo’s government will meet on Wednesday to decide on any new measures, and the neighbouring Netherlands has already ordered a Christmas lockdown.
Belgium has run a relatively successful vaccine campaign and has begun issuing booster shots, but a vocal minority is wary of compulsory jabs and certificates or opposes lockdown measures.

Australian teen who sparked 7-day lockdown fined $35,000

A 19-year-old man who travelled to Byron Bay, on the border of NSW and QLD, with his father who had Covid-19, sparking a seven-day lockdown of the area, has been fined $35,000.
Kristian Radovanovic did not appear for his sentence as he has since travelled to Serbia with his father to care for his grandmother, the court was told on Monday.
He pleaded guilty to four charges after the family travelled to NSW’s northern rivers region to buy a farm in late July and failed to abide by public health orders.
For not using a QR code and failing to wear a mask in a general store Kristian Radovanovic was fined $5000 and $7500 respectively, and for not wearing a mask nor using a QR code in a taxi he was fined $12,500 and $10,000 respectively.
The magistrate said all offences involved a disregard for public health and safety.
Read the full story here.

Thailand to consider ending quarantine-free travel

Thailand’s public health minister said on Monday that his ministry will propose reinstating mandatory quarantine for foreign visitors due to concerns over the spread of the Omicron variant.
The proposal would scrap the current quarantine waiver for vaccinated visitors and revert to hotel quarantine and the “sandbox” programme, which allows free movement within a specific location, Anutin Charnvirakul told the Inside Thailand television show.
He said the proposal will be made to the government’s Covid-19 taskforce “soon”, without elaborating further, Reuters reports.
The minister’s remarks come weeks after Thailand reopened to foreign visitors in November, ending nearly 18 months of strict entry policies that contributed to a collapse in tourism, a key industry and economic driver that drew 40 million visitors in 2019.
Anutin said Thailand had detected 63 people infected with the Omicron variant so far, with one case of local transmission within the same household and the rest imported cases.

Vulnerable NHS patients to be offered new drug from today

Jim Reed - Health reporter, BBC News

The new drug is aimed at vulnerable patients at an earlier stage of infection

A new Covid drug designed to reduce the risk of vulnerable patients needing hospital treatment will be available on the NHS from today.
Sotrovimab is a monoclonal antibody given as a transfusion to transplant recipients, cancer patients and other high-risk groups.
If given quickly after symptoms develop it should help prevent people from falling seriously ill with the disease.
Initial clinical trials, which have not yet been peer reviewed, suggest it  reduces the risk of hospitalisation in the most vulnerable patients by 79% and its makers say it should work against the Omicron variant.
Prof Steven Powis, the national medical director of NHS England said new treatments like this will have “an important role to play” in the pandemic going forward.
It’s thought the Department of Health has placed initial orders for 100,000 doses of the drug to be distributed across the four nations of the UK - a number described as “very limited” by one independent expert.
More on the treatment and how it will be used here.

UK shoppers avoid High Streets amid Omicron fears

The last shopping weekend before Christmas is normally a busy one - but retail analysts say UK shoppers chose to avoid High Streets and city centres amid fears over Omicron.
The number of people on High Streets fell by 5.9% on Sunday but rose 4.8% at retail parks week-on-week, retail analysis firm Springboard said.
Springboard's Diane Wehrle said consumers were "clearly cautious" about venturing out to the shops.
Shoppers were also making quick "in and out" visits, another expert added.
Ms Wehrle said, in part, this was due to shoppers trying to get a head start in buying groceries, while also preferring the "Covid-friendly" nature of retail parks, as they are in the open air, have large stores and can be easily reached by car.
Read more here.

If the government is going to act, it needs to do it quickly - epidemiologist

The government must plan for the worst impacts of Omicron and make decisions quickly, says an epidemiologist from the SPI-M modelling group which advises Sage.
Speaking in a personal capacity, Prof Mark Woolhouse tells BBC Radio 4's Today programme that modelling was correct when it warned of Omicron's rapid spread, within a week of the variant's discovery.
The big unknown now is when that wave will peak or how high it will be, says the professor of infectious disease epidemiology at the University of Edinburgh.
That will depend on how people behave - whether that's due to restrictions or their own choices, he says.
Boosters also protect against severe disease so hopefully the death rate will come down quite dramatically, he says.
Modelling from Sage - scientists who advise the government - puts UK daily deaths at 600 a day at best and 6,000 a day at worst.
Prof Woolhouse says: "If the government is going to act, it's much better for it to act quickly than it is to delay."

US warning over festive travel

Cases are spiking in New York, with long queues seen at test sites

Health officials are warning Americans to take extra precautions while traveling over the Christmas period.
Dr Anthony Fauci, the chief medical advisor to the president, said on Sunday that the Omicron variant was "raging around the world" and that there was "no doubt" festive plans will contribute to virus spread.
More than 100 million people are expected to travel across the US during the festive period, according to industry projections.
President Biden will reportedly address the nation about Omicron in a speech on Tuesday.
It comes as two US senators and former presidential hopefuls, Elizabeth Warren and Cory Booker, both said on Sunday that they had tested positive for coronavirus.

It's safest not to meet up before Christmas - expert

A member of a group advising government on Covid restrictions says the photo of the No 10 wine and cheese gathering during lockdown is "damaging" at a time when politicians and the public need to pull together.
Stephen Reicher is professor of psychology at the University of St Andrews and a member of government advisory body the Scientific Pandemic Insights Group on Behaviours (Spi-B).
He tells BBC Breakfast that polling suggests people are recognising the threat of Omicron and wanting measures such as nightclubs to be closed.
On tougher rules to slow the spread of Omicron, Prof Reicher says restrictions are "probably" needed but adds: "That needs to go along with adequate support for business and adequate support for individuals."
Asked about Christmas, he says "the safest thing is not to meet up before Christmas" but if you do, make sure you take a lateral flow test, think about social distancing and meet outside if possible.

How are other countries handling Omicron?

The Omicron variant has now been found in dozens of countries and is spreading rapidly, according to the World Health Organization.
The UK is considering three different options of possible Covid measures, as we've been telling you this morning.
Other nations across Europe are bracing for the spread and introducing new curbs to try and slow infections.

• The Netherlands has taken the strictest action, with non-essential businesses shuttered from Sunday under fresh lockdown restrictions
  
• France and Austria are among nations to tighten travel rules. Germany has banned most arrivals from the UK - with health minister Karl Lauterbach warning of a "massive fifth wave" of the pandemic
  
• Denmark has shuttered public venues including cinemas and theatres to fight the outbreak while Ireland has introduced curbs on hospitality - with pubs and bars only allowed to stay open until 20:00 under new rules
  

Fifth wave has begun in Israel - PM

A fifth wave of Covid-19 infections has begun in Israel due to the Omicron variant, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has warned, as his government added the United States, Canada and several more European countries to its travel red list.
"Three weeks ago, I warned the citizens of Israel that a new wave was coming, the Omicron wave. One day later, the Corona Cabinet convened and we decided - the first in the world - to bar foreign nationals from entering Israel,” Bennett said in a televised address.
“The time that we bought is running out. The Omicron is already in the country, from the Knesset (parliament) to kindergartens, and it is spreading fast."
Bennett said his goal was to “overcome this wave while continuing economic activity and education as much as we can”, and called on people to maintain social distancing, wear masks, work from home, and vaccinate their children.
Israel has so far recorded 134 confirmed cases of Omicron and 307 suspected cases.
From Tuesday, Israelis will be forbidden from travelling to the US, Italy, Belgium, Germany, Hungary, Morocco, Portugal, Canada, Switzerland and Turkey without permission. The UK was added to the red list last week.

Rafael Nadal tests positive for coronavirus

The player said he tested negative at the tournament

Rafael Nadal says he has tested positive for Covid-19 after returning from the Mubadala World Tennis Championship in Abu Dhabi.
The player said the result was detected on a PCR test following his return to Spain.
"Both in Kuwait and Abu Dhabi we passed controls every two days and all were negative, the last being on Friday and having the results on Saturday," he said in a tweet.
Nadal lost in straight sets to Britain's Andy Murray on Friday in his first match returning from a foot injury.

Natural History Museum forced to close over staff shortages

The Natural History Museum says it will have to shut from Tuesday due to "front-of-house shortages" caused by Covid-19 infections and isolation rules.
The museum in South Kensington, in central London, will remain closed for a week in the hope that "staffing levels will have recovered".
In its statement, it says the decision to close was not taken lightly, but the safety of staff and visitors is the priority.
It adds that tickets for Wildlife Photographer of the Year or Fantastic Beasts: The Wonder of Nature for these dates will be cancelled and refunded.

Here are the key headlines so far at lunchtime today:

• The government "can't make hard, fast guarantees" that there will not be a Christmas lockdown, Deputy PM Dominic Raab has said
  
• The cabinet is due to meet at 14:00 GMT to discuss a range of possible measures which range in severity
  
• Ministers reportedly remain divided over whether to impose tougher restrictions in England
  
• Meanwhile, scientists have been calling on the government to act faster over Omicron as cases soar, warning of the possible impact on hospitals
  
• The hospitality industry continues to ask ministers for new support, as pubs and restaurants see swathes of cancellations ahead of Christmas
  
• A photo of Boris Johnson, his wife and 17 staff members in the Downing Street garden with wine and cheese last year during lockdown shows them having a "work meeting", No 10 says
  
• A new drug designed to reduce the risk of vulnerable patients needing hospital treatment from Covid will be available on the NHS from today
  
• UK health secretary Sajid Javid has made clear that fresh Covid restrictions could be imposed before Christmas to slow the spread of the Omicron variant, with ministers set to make a decision in days.
  
• A photograph of Boris Johnson pictured with wine and cheese alongside his wife and up to 17 staff in the Downing Street garden in May last year has been shared with the Guardian. The leaked photo raises questions over No 10’s insistence a “work meeting” was taking place.
  
• Thailand is considering whether to reinstate mandatory quarantine for foreign visitors due to concerns over the spread of the Omicron variant, the nation’s public health minister said on Monday.
  
• Germany is reporting a daily addition of 16,086 confirmed Covid cases and 119 deaths.
  
• A 19-year-old Australian man who sparked 7-day lockdown has been fined $35,000.
  
• The EU’s drug regulator will decide on Monday whether to approve a Covid jab by Novavax, which uses a more conventional technology that the US biotech firm hopes will reduce vaccine hesitancy, AFT reports.
  
• US senators Elizabeth Warren and Cory Booker confirmed they have tested positive for Covid-19.
  
• Belgian police intervened to disperse stone-throwing youths on Sunday after the latest protest march in Brussels turned violent against anti-coronavirus measures.
  
• US infectious disease expert Dr Anthony Fauci said the Omicron variant is “raging around the world”, in an interview with NBC’s Meet the Press, adding that “the real problem” for the US hospital system is that “we have so many people in this country who are eligible to be vaccinated who have not yet been vaccinated.”
  
• The Netherlands has entered a strict lockdown that meant the closure of non-essential stores, restaurants, hairdressers, gyms, museums and other public places until 14 January to push back the new wave.
  

Here is a snapshot of the Covid situation unfolding in Australia.

The nation’s most populous state of NSW recorded 2,501 new local Covid-19 cases. The numbers are nearly double that of Victoria, a reversal of a weeks-long trend of more infections below the border.
There were 1,302 new coronavirus cases recorded in Victoria with no deaths.
The national capital of the ACT recorded 13 new infections on Monday, with a large number of cases believed to have stemmed from people who tested positive after arriving in Canberra from interstate.
Three new Covid cases were also reported in Tasmania.
South Australia recorded triple digit Covid cases, officially recording 105 new cases.
he Northern Territory recorded three new Covid cases and lockdown has been extended by 48 hours until 5pm Wednesday.
Queensland recorded 59 new Covid cases as Omicron becomes the dominant strain.
Prime minister Scott Morrison says he will discuss the rising number of Omicron cases and the issue of state borders with the premiers at an unscheduled meeting of national cabinet.

‘Vaccines are not the only answer’ say experts

Melissa Davey - The Guardian
Epidemiologist Prof Mary-Louise McLaws has spent the past week dialling in to meetings of the World Health Organization’s [WHO] infection prevention and control group, and said; “I don’t know of any outbreak manager who would not support wearing masks at the very minimum” in cities where Covid-19 cases are rising.
McLaws said:

WHO keeps reminding the world that vaccines are not the only answer because this virus keeps changing.
Vaccines certainly reduce the risk of death and severe infection. But you do need other measures, like physical distancing, and masks.”

Most eminent virology, infectious diseases and epidemiology experts agree that it is clear public health measures beyond vaccines are needed, especially as Omicron spreads rapidly. There is some disagreement, however, as to whether governments should mandate those additional measures, and which measures would be most useful to mandate.
Read the full story here.

Thailand reports its first locally transmitted case of Omicron

Thailand is reporting its first locally transmitted case of the Omicron variant found in a Thai woman who tested positive after contracting the virus from her husband, a Colombian who returned to Thailand from Nigeria in late November, a health ministry official told a daily briefing on Monday.
“She is potentially the first in Thailand to get Omicron from an overseas traveller, her husband, and the first locally transmitted case,” said Chakrarat Pittayawonganon, an official from the Disease Control Department.
Both the husband and the wife had been fully vaccinated with the AstraZeneca vaccine, he said.
The couple had one high-risk contact, a taxi driver, who was being quarantined and pending a second coronavirus test due on Wednesday, Chakrarat added.

Twelve people have died with Omicron in UK and 104 in hospital

Deputy prime minister and justice secretary Dominic Raab has said 12 people have died with the Omicron variant of the coronavirus, and 104 are in hospital with it.
Raab did not confirm whether he is one of the 10 cabinet ministers who reportedly questioned modelling on the Omicron surge.
He told Times Radio: “If you look at Omicron, what we actually know is that it spreads very rapidly.
“We have got 104 hospitalisations at the moment which are Omicron-based, we have had 12 deaths. But there’s a time lag in the data and so we don’t know quite how severe it will be.
“The one thing we do know is that those that get the booster jab get over 70% effective protection, which is why the strategy we have got, I believe at the moment subject to being reviewed constantly, is the right one which is encouraging people to get their boosters.
“I think 53% of adults have now had their booster and then proceeding with plan B, which is encouraging people to work from home where they can and masks in particularly crowded places.”
He added: “I think that is the right strategy until we’ve got firmer, harder data.”

South African president Cyril Ramaphosa has returned to work after finishing a week of self-isolation due to testing positive for Covid-19, his office said on Monday
Reuters reports:
Ramaphosa, who was given Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine in February, tested positive on 12 December and received treatment for mild symptoms.
“The president has returned to duty and will chair the final cabinet meeting for 2021 on Wednesday,” the presidency said in a statement.
In the past few days, a nationwide outbreak believed to be linked to the new Omicron variant of the coronavirus has been infecting more than 20,000 people a day, even though the number of new recorded infections dropped below that over the weekend.

Cuba has vaccinated more of its citizens against Covid than most of the world’s largest and richest countries.
It is a milestone that will make the poor, communist-run country a test case as the highly contagious Omicron variant begins to spread around the world, Reuters reports.
The Caribbean island has vaccinated more than 90% of its citizens with at least one dose, and 83% of the population is now fully inoculated, placing it second globally behind only the United Arab Emirates among countries of at least 1 million people, according to official statistics compiled by Our World in Data.
While many of its neighbours in Latin America, as well as emerging economies globally, have competed for vaccines produced by wealthier countries, health officials say Cuba vaulted ahead by developing its own.
Infections and deaths from Covid have plunged on the island in recent weeks, falling to less than 1% of their peak on 22 August, when fewer than half its citizens were vaccinated. Nearly all of Cuba’s children aged two to 18 have now been vaccinated with homegrown vaccines.

South Africa’s president has returned to work after a week of isolation after testing positive for Covid.
Cyril Ramaphosa had mild symptoms and was treated at his official residence in Cape Town by the military health service as the country battled a wave of the virus dominated by the highly transmissible Omicron variant.
His office said:

President Ramaphosa repeats his call for everyone in the country to stay safe by being vaccinated, wearing face masks, washing or sanitising hands frequently, maintaining a social distance and avoiding gatherings.

President Cyril Ramaphosa wears a face mask on a visit to a Covid-19 vaccination centre in Tembisa, South Africa. Photograph: AP

Ramaphosa is to chair the last cabinet meeting of the year on Wednesday.

Kuwait will require anyone who has been vaccinated against Covid for nine months to get a booster shot, the government tweeted on Monday.
Kuwait will also require travellers to quarantine at home for 10 days unless they receive a negative PCR test for coronavirus within 72 hours of their arrival.

UK records 91,743 new Covid cases and 44 more deaths

Britain reported 91,743 new Covid cases on Monday, the second highest figure since the start of the pandemic, as the Omicron variant continues to spread rapidly.
The number of deaths within 28 days of a positive Covid test was 44.

Italy registers 137 new Covid deaths

Italy reported 137 coronavirus-related deaths on Monday against 97 the day before, the health ministry said, while the daily tally of new infections fell to 16,213 from 24,259.
Italy has registered 135,778 deaths linked to Covid since its outbreak emerged in February last year, the second-highest toll in Europe after Britain and the ninth-highest in the world. The country has reported 5.4 million cases to date, Reuters reported.
Patients in hospital with Covid - not including those in intensive care - stood at 8,101 on Monday, up from 7,726 a day earlier.
There were 73 new admissions to intensive care units, down from 78 on Sunday. The total number of intensive care patients increased to 987 from a previous 966.
Some 337,222 tests for Covid were carried out in the past day, compared with a previous 566,300, the health ministry said.

London 999 services normal despite major incident

Jonathan Josephs - BBC business reporter
London’s emergency services say they are maintaining services as normal despite the capital’s mayor Sadiq Khan declaring a “major incident” over the weekend as cases of the Omicron variant continue to grow.
Despite the challenges of coronavirus, the Metropolitan Police says they are “continuing to provide a resilient and strong policing service to London.”
Similarly the London Fire Brigade says they have maintained their response time targets of six to eight minutes throughout the pandemic.
As with any other large organisations it’s likely that the services are seeing increased absences because of the spread of the Omicron variant.
On Saturday night, chief executive of NHS Providers Chris Hopson tweeted “London NHS pressure mounting rapidly” and that “Covid linked staff absences up 140% from 1,900 Sunday to 4,700 Thurs. Some trusts now having to postpone non essential activity”.
Hopson says that whilst trusts dealt with their own staffing challenges the pressure was threefold, in the form of “huge pressure in non-Covid care” whilst also expanding the vaccine booster programme and preparing for “potentially large numbers of new omicron hospitalised covid patients”.

Swiss impose restrictions on unvaccinated

Imogen Foulkes - BBC News, Geneva
From today, life for the unvaccinated in Switzerland becomes very restricted.
Bars, restaurants, theatres, museums, gyms and sporting events are open only to those who can prove they are vaccinated or that they have recovered.
A negative test is no longer acceptable. Essentials like grocery shops, pharmacists and public transport are still accessible to all, but masks must be worn – and everyone who can must work from home.

Premier League clubs reject calls for fixture postponement

Premier League clubs have rejected calls for games to be postponed over the Christmas period amid disruption caused by a large increase in Covid-19 cases at top-flight sides.
An emergency meeting of all 20 clubs was called on Monday, following a weekend that saw six out of 10 games called off due to teams being hit by an increase in coronavirus cases.
It had been expected that games in the week starting 28 December would be postponed in order to ease the pressure on Premier League squads.
Instead, clubs have been advised if they have 13 fit players, plus a goalkeeper, they should fulfil their games.
Liverpool are believed to be one of the clubs that pushed for games to be called off. The club's manager Jurgen Klopp said on Friday that it is has become "impossible" for the Premier League to continue with its current fixture list.
Last week, Premier League players returned 42 positive Covid-19 tests in a seven-day period, the highest number since the start of the pandemic.
Read more about the decision here.

Half of West End theatres hit by Covid cancellations at weekend

Nearly half of London's top theatres had to cancel performances this weekend due to Covid cases, as Omicron disrupts live events.
Of the 46 full members of the Society of London Theatre that had shows running, 22 of them scrapped performances.
They included Hamilton, Matilda, Wicked, The Lion King, Cinderella, Cabaret and Come From Away.
Producer Sir Cameron Mackintosh said it was "hugely disruptive" and left industry in a "dreadful state".
He told BBC News: "It's literally day-to-day. We spend all morning trying to work out if we can do the show or not.
"The important thing is, when we do it, it is safe, and the public have been remarkable in that they are, in our experience, turning up mostly to the shows."
Sir Cameron, who has eight productions in the West End, including Hamilton, Les Miserables and Mamma Mia!, said it would be a "terrible blow" if theatres had to shut again either "by the government or by stealth" and urged ministers to step up and help the hospitality and theatre sectors.
Meanwhile, there have been a raft of cancellations elsewhere in the country, with performances of Six and The Book of Mormon called off at the Lowry in Salford and the Palace Theatre in Manchester respectively.
You can read more here.

German leaders expected to limit private gatherings

German state leaders are expected to agree to fresh coronavirus restrictions, including limiting private gatherings to a maximum of 10 people who have all been vaccinated or recovered from Covid-19.
New Chancellor Olaf Schultz will meet with the country's 16 regional leaders on Tuesday, when the proposals are set to be discussed. If agreed, the new restrictions are expected to come into force from 28 December.
The curbs will be the same for outdoor and indoor gatherings, though children under 14 will be exempt from the limit, according to draft documents seen by the Reuters news agency.
The documents also say that access to restaurants will remain limited to people who can provide proof of vaccination or recovery.
Leaders are expected to announce renewed financial support to companies and organisations affected by the new pandemic-related restrictions.

No new measures but situation under constant review - PM

Boris Johnson has just been speaking after this afternoon's cabinet meeting.
He says ministers agree the current situation is "extremely difficult".
"The arguments either way are finely balanced," he says noting that cases of Omicron are "surging and hospitalisations are rising quite steeply in London".
He says that the government will keep data under "constant review" and that "we will have to reserve the possibility of taking further action to protect the public and our NHS".
"We won't hesitate to take action," he says, urging the public to exercise caution and get vaccinated.
"It could not be more urgent," he adds.
Asked what kind of measures the government will take he replies: "We're looking at all kinds of things... we will rule nothing out."

What did the PM say after today's cabinet meeting?

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has just spoken to the media after cabinet ministers met virtually this afternoon to discuss how to slow the spread of the Omicron variant.
In case you missed it, here's a quick recap of his main points:

• The government will keep coronavirus data under "constant review", looking at it "hour by hour" as Omicron cases surge and hospital admissions rise "quite steeply" in London
  
• As a result ministers have to "reserve the possibility of taking further action" to protect public health and the NHS - with a range of measures being considered and "nothing" ruled out
  
• The PM acknowledged the impact of recent behavioural changes by some people - such as booking cancellations - on businesses including the hospitality industry - saying the economic impacts would be kept "under constant review"
  
• He insisted a photo of a gathering in the Downing Street garden while the UK was under Covid restrictions last year, was of "people at work, talking about work"
  

Analysis: Two hours of deliberations - but little in the way of answers

Damian Grammaticas - Political correspondent
The PM had been urged to give clarity. The nation was waiting to hear if there would be more restrictions coming - and if so, what and when?
Boris Johnson and his cabinet had spent more than two hours deliberating. But what Johnson told us didn’t answer those questions.
On how serious things are, he said there were still “uncertainties” and “we should keep the data under review”.
On what possible action might come, he said: “We are looking at all kinds of things."
Could it still happen before Christmas? “We will rule nothing out,” he replied.
So this was a decision by the PM not to do more right now, despite the fact he said cases were “surging".
Was that because of doubts around the cabinet table? Or because the PM - as he pointed out - believes people are already adapting their behaviour and he wants more time to see if that’s enough to control the spread of Omicron?
Perhaps, but it perpetuates the uncertainty. And, as the scientists have said, delay has consequences in itself, because cases continue to rise.

Coronavirus cases surged in New York City and around the United States over the weekend, dashing hopes for a more normal holiday season.
In New York, new Covid cases rose 60% in the week that ended on Sunday as the Omicron variant spreads rapidly around the US northeast. New York has set records for the most new cases reported in a single day since the pandemic started for three consecutive days.
The rise in cases has set off alarm bells for public health officials, who see Omicron fast becoming dominant in the United States and fear an explosion of infections after holiday gatherings., Reuters reported.
With the new variant in circulation, the number of Covid cases is now doubling in one and a half to three days in areas with community transmission, the World Health Organization said on Saturday.

Australia urged to fund free rapid Covid tests as stores sell out
Tory Shepherd - The Guardian
In Australia, the federal government should fund free or subsidised rapid antigen tests, business and union groups say, as pre-Christmas Covid testing queues grow and stores sell out of the at-home tests.
Free, or at least cheaper, tests would not only save businesses from shouldering the cost, it would send a “market signal” to suppliers that Australia was a willing customer and stop shortages.
Since 1 November, Australians have been able to test themselves at home for Covid. The rapid antigen tests are not as accurate as PCR tests but they deliver results much faster and can screen for infections if used regularly.
But many retailers have sold out of the tests and prices have fluctuated as the number of infections increased and people get tested before travel or Christmas gatherings.
At the same time, global supply chain problems are delaying shipments of rapid tests into Australia, while freight prices and border restrictions are delaying transport around the country.

UK records 91,743 new Covid cases and 44 more deaths

Britain reported 91,743 new Covid cases on Monday, the second highest figure since the start of the pandemic, as the Omicron variant continues to spread rapidly.
The number of deaths within 28 days of a positive Covid test was 44.
The Omicron variant of the coronavirus is spreading faster than the Delta variant and is causing infections in people already vaccinated or who have recovered from the Covid disease, the head of the World Health Organization said on Monday.
“There is now consistent evidence that Omicron is spreading significantly faster than the Delta variant,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a news briefing at the WHO’s new headquarters in Geneva.
“And it is more likely people vaccinated or recovered from Covid-19 could be infected or re-infected,” Tedros said.

Government 'condemning businesses to Christmas of worry' - Reeves

Labour's shadow chancellor says the government is "condemning many businesses and workers to a Christmas of worry and hardship" by not providing them financial support as customers stay at home.
Writing on Twitter, the Leeds West MP describes the government's lack of support as "appalling" - arguing the hardest hit sectors have seen significant falls in business over the last week.
She says: "Yet the government has behaved as though nothing has changed.
"People deserve honesty, practical help and clarity so they can plan for the future."
Reeves adds the government should:

• Be giving businesses and workers worst affected targeted support
  
• Urgently fix sick pay
  
• Provide wider support to the economy next year by "easing the burden of business rates"
  

Canadian provinces break Covid-19 records amid Omicron surge

Holly Honderich - BBC News, Oshawa, Ontario
Canadians across the country are facing new Covid-19 restrictions ahead of the holidays, as the country scrambles to address an aggressive fifth wave.
The provinces of Quebec and Nova Scotia both set new records for their daily case counts on Sunday while Ontario – the country’s most populous province – reported more than 4,100 new infections, a 24% increase over the day before.
Provincial governments are responding to the surge with sweeping restrictions just days ahead of Christmas. Ontario has cut indoor capacity at most indoor settings including restaurants and stores to 50%, and all social gatherings must have a maximum of 10 people.
Similar restrictions are expected in British Columbia and Quebec on Monday.
Over the weekends, Canadians spent hours queuing for both testing kits and booster shots in hopes of keeping holiday plans.

Panama has detected its first case of the Omicron variant of Covid, the Central American country’s health ministry said on Monday.
A 50-year-old who works in mining and recently traveled to South Africa was found to have contracted the coronavirus with the Omicron variant, said Luis Sucre, Panama’s health minister.

In Quebec, Canada’s second-most populous province, schools, bars, gyms, casinos and cinemas will be closed as of Monday in order to combat the rapid spread of the Omicron variant.
All non-essential workers are being asked to work from home and restaurants will have to reduce their capacity to 50% and limit their hours from 5am to 10pm. The new measures will come into effect at 5pm local time on Monday.
The province’s health minister Christian Dubé urged Quebecers to cut down their personal contacts after a record 4,571 new cases were recorded.
“The situation is critical. The explosion of cases is overwhelming,” he said in a press briefing today.

Britain’s Queen Elizabeth will celebrate Christmas at Windsor instead of her usual choice of Sandringham, a palace source said on Monday, as the Omicron variant continues to spread rapidly.
“The decision was a personal one after careful consideration and reflects a precautionary approach,” the source said. “There will be family visiting Windsor over the Christmas period and all appropriate guidelines will be followed.”
Chris Ship, ITV News’s Royal Editor, tweeted that the decision taken by the monarch was a “personal one”.

Here are some of Monday's key headlines from the UK and around the world:

• Prime Minister Boris Johnson says the government "won't hesitate" to introduce further Covid rules in England ahead of Christmas if necessary, following a meeting of the cabinet this afternoon - but no new measures have been announced yet
  
• The UK records a further 91,743 new coronavirus cases, as well as 44 more deaths within 28 days of a positive test
  
• More than one million vaccines were given on Saturday, in a record-breaking weekend for the booster jab rollout
  
• The Queen cancels her traditional Christmas at Sandringham in Norfolk, as a precaution against rising levels of the Omicron variant
  
• Premier League and EFL clubs opt to play their festive fixtures despite ongoing disruption caused by Covid cases
  
• A new drug designed to reduce the risk of vulnerable patients needing hospital treatment from Covid is available on the NHS from today
  
• The World Economic Forum postpones its annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, over the continued uncertainty around the spread of Omicron
  
• The European Union’s drugs regulator has given the green light to a fifth Covid vaccine for use, granting conditional marketing authorisation to the two-dose treatment made by the US biotech company Novavax.
  
• The Omicron variant of the coronavirus is spreading faster than the Delta variant and is causing infections in people already vaccinated or who have recovered from the Covid disease, the head of the World Health Organization said on Monday.
  
• Moderna said on Monday that a booster dose of its Covid vaccine appeared to be protective against the fast-spreading Omicron variant in laboratory testing and that the current version of the vaccine would continue to be Moderna’s “first line of defence against Omicron”.
  
• Bereaved families and friends who lost loved ones to Covid have criticised Boris Johnson over a photo that has emerged showing the prime minister at a gathering in the Downing Street garden with wine and cheese alongside his wife and up to 17 staff in an apparent breach of lockdown rules.
  
• Britain reported 91,743 new Covid cases on Monday, the second highest figure since the start of the pandemic, as the Omicron variant continues to spread rapidly. The number of deaths within 28 days of a positive Covid test was 44.
  
• In the UK, at least five national attractions including the Natural History Museum and Edinburgh Castle have closed because of a surge in Covid cases.
  
• Belgium’s health ministers have agreed to start vaccinating children aged between five and 11 against coronavirus.
  
• Britain’s Queen Elizabeth will celebrate Christmas at Windsor instead of her usual choice of Sandringham, a palace source said on Monday, as the Omicron variant continues to spread rapidly.
  
• Italy reported 137 coronavirus-related deaths on Monday against 97 the day before, the health ministry said, while the daily tally of new infections fell to 16,213 from 24,259.
  
• Israeli ministers on Monday agreed to ban travel to the US, Canada and eight other countries amid the rapid, global spread of the omicron variant.
  
• The Russian maker of the Covid Sputnik V vaccine is due to submit its latest data by the end of December, with manufacturing site inspections expected to follow in February, a World Health Organization (WHO) official said on Monday.
  
• Panama has detected its first case of the Omicron variant of Covid, the Central American country’s health ministry said on Monday.
  
• China must be more forthcoming with data and information related to the origin of the Sars-CoV-2 coronavirus, the head of the World Health Organization has said.
  
• Royal Caribbean Group has said 48 people on its Symphony of the Seas cruise ship tested positive for Covid.