Boris Johnson repeatedly declined to rule out imposing further coronavirus restrictions before Christmas to tackle the spread of omicron, as he confirmed the first U.K. death linked to the new coronavirus strain.
“Throughout the pandemic I’ve been at great pains to stress to the public that we have to watch where the pandemic is going, and we take whatever steps are necessary to protect public health,” Johnson told reporters at a vaccination center in London on Monday. He also said omicron would account for the majority of cases in the capital city by Tuesday.
Earlier, Health Secretary Sajid Javid also said there’s no certainty the government will be able to keep schools in England open.
The comments point to the balancing act facing ministers as they try to respond to a surge in infections, even as a growing number of politicians in the ruling Conservative Party threaten to rebel against new restrictions on mask-wearing and so-called vaccine passports already announced last week.
Johnson warned those MPs against “complacency” in the face of the virus, ahead of key votes in Parliament on Tuesday.
In a hastily arranged address late Sunday, Johnson said the U.K. faces an emergency over omicron and announced an accelerated booster program to get the country through the crisis.
Yet the numbers involved demonstrate how quickly new curbs may become necessary. Johnson said the National Health Service will need to match its best vaccination day yet — 844,000 in March — and then must beat it “day after day” to achieve the target of offering all adults a booster by the New Year.
The U.K. is deploying military planning teams to help with the rollout, with new sites opening and vaccine centers open seven days a week. Some 750 armed forces personnel will be mobilized, mainly to administer vaccines, with 50 military planning experts coordinating the national effort.
The government is “working to increase capacity” for booking booster shots online, Johnson’s spokesman Max Blain told reporters, after the NHS website crashed on Monday morning amid high demand.
There is also “no shortage” of free lateral flow tests, Blain said, despite them being unavailable on the government website. People can collect test kits at their local pharmacy or community site, the U.K. Health Security Agency said.
He also said there are currently no plans to close any venues to limit the spread of omicron, though all options are being kept under review.
As the threat from omicron became clearer, the government did introduce new restrictions in recent days, including mandatory face coverings in indoor public spaces and bringing back guidance for people to work from home.
But scientific advisers including Susan Hopkins, chief medical adviser for the U.K. Health Security Agency, suggested Sunday that additional measures may soon be needed to prevent a surge in hospitalizations.
A further 48,854 confirmed cases were announced on Sunday, taking the seven-day average to 51,497 cases per day. Javid told Sky News on Monday that of about 3,000 omicron cases in England, about 10 people had been hospitalized.
Tightening further would be risky for Johnson, who has staked considerable political capital on allowing gatherings and other festive activities to go ahead this Christmas. It would also trigger further anger among restless Tory MPs.
Johnson’s authority with his party and in public health messaging has been weakened in recent weeks after a steady drip of damaging allegations around COVID-19 rule-breaking Christmas events last year.
On Monday, Johnson said he “broke no rules” over the festivities in Downing Street. Simon Case, the U.K.’s top civil servant, is investigating the alleged gatherings, including a virtual quiz that Johnson took part in.
The premier faces a crunch day in Parliament on Tuesday, with a series of votes on the new COVID rules. Rebel Conservative MP Steve Baker estimates around 60 colleagues will vote against Johnson.
Still, the measures are expected to pass, as the opposition Labour Party is expected to vote for them. The real risk for Johnson lies in what comes next, if the new rules and booster program prove insufficient against omicron.
“We need to get those third doses in to as many adults as we possibly can,” Robert Read, a member of the Joint Committee for Vaccines and Immunisation, told LBC radio. “Just in case this virus turns out to be a raging bull.”
