Christmas is coming - and so is a "tidal wave" of Omicron, according to the Prime Minister.
With fears that there could be as many as one million cases of the new variant by the end of the year, the Government has tweaked the self-isolation rules.
From today (December 14), double-vaccinated contacts of positive cases should take daily lateral flow tests. Those who are unvaccinated will still need to self-isolate for 10 days if they come in to contact with someone who has coronavirus.
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And, of course, regardless of your vaccination status, anyone who catches Covid-19 will need to self-isolate for 10 days.
So what does that mean for Christmas? Well, it means that if you test positive for Covid on or after December 15, you'll be self-isolating on Christmas Day - so nobody can come round and you can't go out.
The same is true if you're unvaccinated and come in to contact with a positive case on or after December 15.
With that in mind, many people are planning to cut down on social contacts between now and Christmas Day. That's aside from the public (and personal) health arguments for doing so, too.
The official rules continue to say Christmas parties are allowed, but working from home is now advised and mask wearing in most indoor public spaces is now a legal requirement.
Remember, though - anyone who needs to self-isolate may be eligible for a £500 support payment.
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