Good afternoon, these are the latest lunchtime ECHO headlines.
Boris Johnson 'not expected' to announce lockdown or further restrictions
Boris Johnson is "not expected" to announce further restrictions to control the Omicron variant in England after being briefed on the impact Christmas had on covid infections and hospital pressures.
In what was described as an internal Government meeting, the Prime Minister was scheduled on Monday to be talked through the latest data by chief medical officer for England Professor Chris Whitty and Sir Patrick Vallance, the chief scientific adviser.
The PA news agency said it understands no announcement is expected to come out of the meeting, potentially leaving England at odds with other parts of the UK, where post- Christmas restrictions have been deployed.
READ MORE: Weddings and funerals 'to be exempt' from any tougher lockdown measures
England is currently under the UK Government's Plan B rulebook, with guidance to work from home, mask wearing in shops and other public settings, and covid passes to gain entry to large events.
Man killed by suspected drug driver in Boxing Day tragedy
A man was killed by a car with a suspected drug driver behind the wheel.
Road traffic police are seeking witnesses after the Boxing Day tragedy at around 9.25pm in Southway, Skelmersdale.
Sergeant Martin Wilcock, of the Lancashire Police TacOps team, said: “This was a tragic incident and first and foremost our thoughts are with the family and friends of the man who died.
"We are now working extremely hard to piece together what happened and are asking anybody with information about this collision to get in touch."
Read the full story here.
New Year's Eve weather set to be warmest on record says Met Office
New Year's Eve could be the mildest on record with temperatures, the Met Office has said.
The previous New Year's Eve record of 14.8C (58.64F) was set in 2011.
However, this year could see that level matched, or even surpassed in some parts of the UK.
Met Office Meteorologist Greg Dewhurst said: "The record is 14.8C on New Year's Eve and that was in 2011, temperatures look like they'll be 14 to 15C (57.2-59F) so it is possible that temperatures could be that value."
Read the full story here.
