The Prime Minister may bring in new restrictions in the coming days to try and curb the spread of the Omicron variant.
Boris Johnson's official spokesman said further measures are "already set out through Plan B", and will be implemented "if required"
England’s approach to fighting Covid-19 currently focuses on vaccinating the nation – nicknamed "Plan A".
READ MORE: New 'Plan B Plus' covid restrictions could be triggered in 'coming days'
However, in light of recent developments, speculation over Plan B is once again high.
The measures are expected to include the following:
Working from home
Advice for people to work from home if they can was dropped after July 19, leaving it to employers to decide.
But suggestions to work from home where possible could be reintroduced.
Nicola Sturgeon has already urged all Scots to work from home until mid-January.
Face masks
Face masks were reintroduced in some settings last month, and this could be spread to include other environments where people come into contact with one another such as pubs and restaurants.
On Tuesday morning, December 7, Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab told the Today programme the government did not believe its Plan B was needed because of the success of the vaccine programme.
But speculation that the new measures will be rolled out is mounting, with Professor Neil Ferguson, a member of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage), suggested people may be told to work from home in the near future, as the Omicron variant is set to take over from the Delta strain before Christmas.
Vaccine passports
Ministers were split on the potential use of compulsory vaccine certification during yesterday’s cabinet meeting, at which they were forced to confront the potential need to move to the government’s plan B, the Times reports.
If introduced, these would be used under Plan B in a ‘limited number of settings, with specific characteristics’, including nightclubs and crowded indoor venues with more than 500 attendees.
Vaccine certification would also be applied to outdoor crowded settings with more than 4,000 people and any venue with 10,000 or more attendees, such as large sports stadiums, the Metro reports.
Vaccine passports have already been implemented in Scotland and Wales.
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