The UK public should not socialise "when we don’t particularly need to," as more cases of the Omicron variant are found in the country, a top government scientist has warned.
In something of a ramping up of messaging around social restrictions, Dr Jenny Harries, chief executive of the UK Health Security Agency told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: “If we all decrease our social contacts a little bit, actually that helps to keep the variant at bay."
She added: "Being careful, not socialising when we don’t particularly need to, and particularly going and getting those booster jabs which, of course, people will now be able to have at a three-month interval from their primary course.”
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Her comments comes as new rules around wearing masks on public transport and in shops come into force.
However Ministers have not gone as far as suggesting people don't socialise or keep their distance from each other at this point.
Dr Harries also added that our current available vaccines 'appear to be effective', but that even if a large number of people are infected with a 'lowish grade' of the virus, it could still have a significant impact on our hospitals.
She said: "And of course, our behaviours in winter and particularly around Christmas we tend to socialise more so I think all of those will need to be taken into account.”
Dr Harries also appeared to suggest more people should be working from home, something yet to feature in government guidance.
She said advice from the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) "has shown that if we have significant surges in Covid cases, then actually working from home is one of the key ones to implement and that’s why it is in Plan B", later adding: "“certainly, if we see surges, then working from home will be a good thing to do”.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson will lead a Covid-19 press conference later today as he tries to encourage more people to take up the offer of a booster jab, with all adults now eligible for a third vaccine.
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