Here are the coronavirus evening headlines for Tuesday, December 14, after it was confirmed all 11 red-listed countries would be scrapped from the coronavirus travel red list from 4am tomorrow morning.
On Tuesday afternoon, Welsh health minister Eluned Morgan confirmed she agreed with the changes.
However, UK travellers will still need to check with major airlines including TUI, Jet2, Ryanair, EasyJet and British Airways after more than a dozen countries closed their doors to travel from the UK.
Read more: For more health-related content please go here
As the Omicron variant continues to spread, each of the four UK nations are reacting differently. However, leaders are also echoing similar messages about stepping up their vaccination programmes.
In Wales, Ms Morgan has warned people to prepare for more restrictions in the coming weeks, with the Government "currently not taking anything off the table". Welsh health officials are aiming to offer all eligible adults the vaccine by the end of December, with appointments to be scheduled into the new year.
Dr Gill Richardson, from Public Health Wales, said the NHS Covid pass which allows people in Wales to show their double vaccination status and test results may have to be reviewed in light of the ramping up of the booster programme.
On education, the situation is under review after two councils, Denbighshire and Anglesey, decided to close schools early on December 17, with students moved to online learning for the last days of term.
First Minister Mark Drakeford said further restrictions could be possible after the Christmas break when children are not in school and government offices are closed.
England has had the most relaxed rules in the UK until MPs voted this evening to introduce new restrictions including Covid passes for entry into nightclubs and other venues and mandatory face coverings in nearly all indoor settings such as museums and galleries.
Some venues and events could be legally required to check the Covid status of visitors over 18 from Wednesday. People would have to show proof of being double-vaccinated or of a negative Covid test.
Face coverings have also been made compulsory in most indoor public venues - as well as on public transport - and people have been told to work from home if they can.
Boris Johnson has also ramped up the booster jab campaign with a new target meaning people 18 and over will be able to get their third jabs from this week.
In Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon has urged people to limit their socialising to three households before and after Christmas to help combat the spread of the Omicron variant.
Scotland's First Minister stressed she was "not asking anyone to cancel Christmas", but advised people to limit their socialising either side of the holiday. It is merely advice however, and not a legal requirement.
It was also announced that allowing staff to work from home where possible will again become a legal duty on employers.
Ms Sturgeon said other announcements for businesses include "a return to the kind of protections in place at the start of the pandemic" to avoid crowding, such as physical distancing and table service in bars.
All over-18s should be able to book their booster jab appointments online from Wednesday with the programme taking priority over the flu vaccine.
Care home visits have also been limited to two households, with all visitors asked to take a coronavirus test before attending.
Finally, in Northern Ireland, a scheme which requires people to prove Covid status to gain entry to a range of hospitality venues and large-attendance events will be made mandatory.
Those wishing to access nightclubs, pubs, restaurants and other licensed premises will need to provide proof of vaccination or a negative lateral flow test result or evidence of a previous Covid-19 infection.
The same rules will apply for entry to large indoor and outdoor events, such as concerts and sporting events
Major changes to vaccination programme in Wales
All available clinical staff in Wales will be redeployed to vaccination centres as Wales massively accelerates the delivery of Covid booster jabs, it has been announced.
Walk-in lanes are also being introduced at some mass vaccination centres as administrators aim to offer jabs to up to 60,000 people a day before the end of December.
Welsh Government health minister Eluned Morgan used the Welsh Government press conference this lunchtime to explain how they will try to meet a target of offering all adults in Wales boosters by the end of the December. There is now Omicron in every health board area in Wales, she said, and delivering boosters is the "number one priority".
The First Minister has told us already that the current number of 20,000 vaccinations a day will need to be doubled, and doubled again to meet the new target. As of today, 1.1m people have had their boosters in Wales.
Now it has been announced there will be walk-in slots at clinics, and the opening hours of vaccination centres could be further expanded and jabs will also be offered on Christmas Day. Read more details here.
Extra money for Wales to deliver booster jabs
Wales will receive additional funding from the UK Government to help pay for the vaccine booster programme. Chancellor Rishi Sunak said the details of how much Wales would get would be announced in the coming days and would be kept under review. The funding would be in addition to the grants received under the Barnett Formula. Mr Sunak said:
Throughout this pandemic, the UK has stood together as one family, and we will continue to do so. We are working with the governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to drive the vaccine rollout to all corners of the UK and ensure people and businesses all across the country are supported.
The Treasury said any additional in-year Barnett funding would not be confirmed until early next year through the supplementary estimates process. The devolved administrations of Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland had received an extra £12.6 billion through the Barnett formula this year, taking the total funding this year to £77.6 billion.
Secretary of State for Wales Simon Hart added: "Today's funding announcement provides certainty for the devolved Welsh Government as it looks to plan its pandemic response for the coming weeks and will be followed by a record £18 billion a year settlement from the recent Budget so Welsh Government can deliver vital services including health, education and flood protection in the coming years.
"We will continue to do everything we can to build back better from the pandemic, creating jobs and growing a strong economy in Wales and across the UK."
First Minister Mark Drakeford said Wales would need further guarantees from the Treasury over financial support if tighter restrictions force businesses to close in the new year. He told ITV Wales's Sharp End: "I think it's extremely difficult for any devolved government to take any action of that sort without knowing that the Treasury guarantees would be there. That's a point I made very forcefully to the UK Government yesterday."
Mark Drakeford says he can't rule out restrictions before Christmas Day
Wales' First Minister has refused to rule out imposing restrictions on people meeting up in Wales over the Christmas period.
Speaking in an interview broadcast on Monday evening, Mark Drakeford was asked if there will be further restrictions ahead of Christmas Day. The nation's chief medical officer has already warned that curbs on people mixing would have to be considered in the run-up to Christmas.
The First Minister told ITV Cymru Wales' Sharp End: "I'm not prepared to rule them out. We looked at this last week and came to the conclusion on Friday that there was no need to move in that direction for this week because in Wales, where we are behind what is happening in other parts of the UK, we think the Delta variant will continue to be the dominant variant for this week.
"By Friday, things may be different and if it is necessary to take actions to protect people's health in Wales, then difficult as it is and as unwelcome as it will be to us all for the Welsh Government, protecting people's health and keeping people alive who if we didn't take action would die, we will not shrink from that responsibility."
Although there is only one person in hospital in Wales with Omicron at the moment, the rapid growth in cases in the UK and the lack of protection given by two doses of the vaccine has led experts to fear that the NHS could still be overwhelmed by a rapid surge in cases.
We've looked here at why experts say three doses of a Covid vaccination is effective against Omicron while two do not stop the heavily-mutated variant from spreading.
Lack of PCR test slots in England due to 'exceptionally high demand'
"Exceptionally high demand" is behind people with coronavirus symptoms being temporarily unable to book PCR test slots at walk-in or drive-through sites across England, officials have said. Twice briefly on Tuesday, the Government website said there were no slots available for PCR tests at walk-in and drive-in test sites across every region of England, before making more slots available.
UK Health Security Agency sources said "exceptionally high demand" for the in-person tests has created pressure on the system and led to temporary reduced availability in some areas.
More slots were made available on Tuesday afternoon across all regions, but these are understood to be for Wednesday onwards. Immediately before the additional slots were added, none were available in more than 10 parts of England, including London.
PCR test kits which are posted to people's homes, usually arriving the following day, remain available. The public are being advised to try again later if they cannot get a test, which will not be available through helplines.
Seven of the 10 areas which saw the biggest week-on-week jump in case rates between December 2 and 9 are in the capital, and the Government has previously said it expects Omicron to become the dominant strain there by Tuesday.
It comes as problems ordering rapid lateral flow tests enter their second day. These are unavailable to be ordered via the Government website, though it is understood that a number were available in the early hours of the morning.
A message on the site on Tuesday morning said there were no tests available for home delivery, although tests can still be collected from pharmacies.
Scottish socialising should be limited to three households
Nicola Sturgeon has urged people across Scotland to limit their socialising to three households before and after Christmas to help combat the "exponential" rise of the Omicron coronavirus variant.
Scotland's First Minister said she is not asking people to "cancel" Christmas and is not proposing limits on the size of household gatherings on Christmas Day, Boxing Day or Christmas Eve but that "keeping your celebrations as small as family circumstances allow is sensible".
In a statement to the Scottish Parliament, Ms Sturgeon said the limit to social gatherings is advice, not a legal requirement. She warned people "must take Omicron extremely seriously" as the country recorded 110 new cases of the variant in the past 24 hours, taking the overall number to 296, with two people in hospital confirmed to have the strain.
Legal restrictions for businesses will be introduced involving "a return to the kind of protections in place at the start of the pandemic" to avoid crowding, such as physical distancing, while enabling staff to work from home where possible will again become a legal duty.
Ms Sturgeon said £100 million will be used to help businesses "mainly those in hospitality and food supply" affected by the changes and the advice last week to defer Christmas parties. A further £100 million will go to self-isolation support grant to cover the increase in the expected level of people eligible.
Further restrictions include limiting care home visits to two households, with all visitors asked to take a coronavirus test before attending.
To get the latest coronavirus news sent straight to your email inbox sign up for our free Covid newsletter by clicking here
