Prime Minister Boris Johnson has urged families to "be careful" this Christmas before heading out to social events.
Speaking at a Downing Street press conference Mr Johnson said he would be having a "pretty modest Christmas" while Professor Chris Whitty also urged caution.
It comes as the UK recorded its highest ever number of coronavirus cases, 78,610 in the 24 hours leading up to 9am today (Wednesday, December 15).
Mr Johnson said: “I said many times that I thought that this Christmas will be considerably better than last Christmas, and I stick to that.
“We’re not cancelling events, we’re not closing hospitality, we’re not cancelling people’s parties or their ability to mix.
“What we are saying is think carefully before you go. What kind of an event is it? Are you likely to meet people who are vulnerable? Are you going to meet loads of people you haven’t met before? And get a test … make sure that there’s ventilation, wear a mask on transport and get a test before you go.
“We’re in a different environment, thanks to the boosters, from where we were last year, but we’ve got to be cautious and think about it whilst we wait for the benefits of the boosters really to kick in.”
Speaking about his own plans, Mr Johnson added: "I think the way things are looking I expect a lot of us are going to be working throughout the period.
“My own plans, as you can imagine, are pretty modest at this stage.”
He insisted he follows the rules, adding: “Everybody across politics should follow the rules.”
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