Boris Johnson will not make any announcement over new Covid restrictions before Christmas Day, according to reports.
Earlier this week, the prime minister confirmed fresh curbs would not be brought in ahead of December 25 - but it is now expected he will delay any announcement on restrictions until next week, according to the BBC.
However, it does not mean that the PM will not bring in tighter measures to stem the spread of the Omicron variant, the broadcaster reported.
Meanwhile, hospitality bosses have pleaded with the Government for clarity over New Year’s Eve plans as initial studies claimed the Omicron variant of Covid is milder than Delta.
Jonathan Neame, boss of Britain’s oldest brewer Shepherd Neame, told the Daily Mail: “We hope that pubs stay open and that there are no further restrictions.”
It comes after two separate studies using UK-based data, both released on Wednesday, showed a significant drop in the risk of hospitalisation from the disease.
Analysis by Imperial College London said people with PCR-confirmed Omicron are 40-45 per cent less likely to spend a night or more in hospital compared with Delta.
