Tough new rules designed to stop the spread of the Omicron variant of Covid could come into force this week, according to reports.
The Prime Minister is understood to have discussed increasing Covid restrictions in England when he met with his Cabinet on Tuesday.
Multiple reports claim he is about to activate Plan B - with face masks mandatory in public locations, work from home orders issued and Covid Passports needed for entry to venues.
Downing Street said on Wednesday morning that no decision has yet been made on tougher Covid rules.
But according to Sky News, a senior Government source says the Prime Minister is 'minded' to activate Plan B this week.
Sky reported: "The prime minister received a presentation from England's chief medical officer, Professor Chris Whitty, and chief scientific adviser, Sir Patrick Vallance, on the current coronavirus situation on Tuesday.
"The source told Sky News the prime minister is worried that, if he doesn't act now, he could regret not taking tougher action in a month's time."
A prominent member of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) warned that a full UK-wide lockdown to deal with the threat of the Omicron variant cannot be ruled out, although the current threat posed by the strain remains unclear.
Any move to impose fresh restrictions would be viewed with suspicion in Westminster at a time when Boris Johnson is under pressure over allegations No 10 staff breached lockdown rules by holding a Christmas party last December.
Footage emerged on Tuesday night of senior aides joking about the party just days after it reportedly occurred in the run-up to Christmas 2020 and Mr Johnson is braced for the issue to feature prominently at Prime Minister’s Questions.
The Government has so far insisted it is not time to activate its Plan B – the restrictions that would be brought in to prevent the NHS being overwhelmed this winter.
But Omicron may have changed those calculations in Downing Street, with Mr Johnson telling the Cabinet on Tuesday that “early indications were that it was more transmissible” than the Delta strain.
Restrictions could play a role in slowing the spread of the variant in order to allow more time for the booster jab vaccination campaign to progress.
