An announcement on possible new Covid restrictions could be made on Boxing Day, according to reports.
The Sunday Times has claimed that December 26 has been earmarked for a Government update on new measures to tackle the surge of the Omicron variant across the country.
The measures could then start as early as December 27, they say, the Daily Star reports.
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It is understood that three options are currently being considered, including a two-week circuit breaker lockdown, which would see the Rule of Six return and indoor mixing banned.
Pubs and restaurants would only be allowed to serve customers outside as cases under these possible changes.
As of yet, the plans have not been officially confirmed, with Prime Minister Boris Johnson holding a Cabinet meeting at 2pm today.
Appearing on the final ever episode of The Andrew Marr Show on BBC One, Health Secretary Sajid Javid said the pandemic had made it clear decision makers were not able to give any guarantees.
After it was suggested to him that he was not ruling out new restrictions before Christmas, Mr Javid said: "There are no guarantees in this pandemic, I don’t think.
"At this point, we just have to keep everything under review."
It is also understood that Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has not ruled out demanding fresh restrictions.
It comes after 90,418 daily Covid cases were reported on Saturday and Omicron cases were up another 10,059 to 24,968 in total.
Sage members have reportedly told the government that waiting until after Christmas to impose Covid measures is not an option if they want to keep the NHS from becoming overwhelmed.
The group expects more than 3,000 hospitalisations a day come January, with daily infections and deaths on the rise.
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