MPs could vote for even more restrictions just days before Christmas as the Government tries to stop the spread of the Omicron covid variant.
They have been told to prepare for a recall of Parliament on December 21 - if new cases look to hit the expected million mark.
The Mirror reports this would see the current Plan B moved to Plan C, which could see even harsher restrictions put in place.
READ MORE: People with these nine symptoms told to miss their Christmas parties
According to Whitehall insiders, a further Plan D is now being considered, which could look similar to autumn and winter 2020, when hospitality settings could only serve outdoors.
A Health Department source said: “If you follow the science, we should really be doing Plan C now. The PM is gambling with the NHS to save his leadership.
“But we all know the PM can’t let anything hit Christmas. That really did him damage last time round. To do it again would be killer.”
Professor Christina Pagel of Independent Sage said: “By Christmas Omicron will be the dominant variant.”
And scientists on the group say Plan C must be introduced now, Christmas parties avoided and vaccines rolled out to under 12s.
The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine says without more restrictions Omicron could cause 75,000 deaths over the next five months - and hospital admissions could go up from the present 680 a day to 2,400 in January.
What could Plan C restrictions look like?
- Masks in all indoor settings other than homes
- Covid app for pubs and restaurants to track and trace infections
- Vaccine passports for smaller venues
- 10 day self-isolation after contact with someone infectious
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