Revellers were making the most of their nights out on the town days before Plan B restrictions come into place which will force people to show a Covid pass to get into nightclubs.
People were out and about in Newcastle, Manchester and Leeds on Thursday night celebrating with work colleagues as many brought forward their Christmas parties.
Partygoers were spotted in festive attire, such as headwear and Christmas jumpers, with long queues seen outside pubs and clubs ahead of the tightening of Covid rules in England.
It comes as the legal requirement to wear masks has been extended to other indoor spaces, such as museums and galleries.
Under Plan B, the NHS Covid Pass will also become a requirement for entry to nightclubs and venues with large crowds inside from Wednesday.
This includes unseated indoor events with 500 or more people and unseated outdoor venues with 4,000 or more individuals present.
New rules also say any contact of a suspected Omicron case must isolate for 10 days.
People who haven’t had the booster (just two doses) will still be eligible for now - but Prime Minister Boris Johnson said “we will keep this under review as the boosters roll out”.
Venues affected will be all nightclubs, and other venues open after 1am with alcohol, music, and dancing.
They also include:
- Indoor, crowded settings with 500 or more attendees where those attendees are likely to be in close proximity to people from other households, such as music venues or large receptions.
- Outdoor, crowded settings with 4,000 or more attendees where those attendees are likely to be in close proximity to people from other households, such as outdoor festivals.
- Any settings with 10,000 or more attendees, such as large sports and music stadia.
Under Plan B the government said it “would consider asking people to work from home if they can, for a limited period”, according to the September document and Boris Johnson has since announced that policy.
He said: “We will reintroduce the guidance to work from home.
“From Monday you should work from home if you can. Go to work if you must but work from home if you can.”
Professor John Edmunds, a member of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE), said cases of the new variant will continue to rise.
He told a Royal Society of Medicine briefing: "I think [restrictions are] a necessary evil ... it's very damaging for parts of the economy, the hospitality sector, retail sector in particular - they're going to be affected.
"Unfortunately, we have to do it. The rate at which this virus is spreading is doubling every two or three days.'
"Even though there's very few cases here now, and it seems like an overreaction, it absolutely is not an overreaction."
The new measures will be reviewed on January 5 and the government will update Parliament.
