Government discussing ‘Plans D and E’ in bid to tackle Omicron variant

Possible ‘Plans D and E’ are being discussed by the government should the current measures fail to bring the Omicron variant under control, a Whitehall insider has revealed today.

According to new reports obtained by The Mirror, the tougher plans include the closure of non-essential retail and hospitality and even another lockdown should Omicron infections hit the expected million mark.

A vote next Tuesday, December 21st, could move the current Plan B – which is in place until a review on January 5th – up to Plan C, which would make masks in all indoor establishments and the use of Covid app for pubs and restaurants mandatory.

Vaccine passports would also be required for smaller venues.

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Plan C would also see the return of table service in all hospitality establishments and a required self-isolation period after contact with someone infectious, regardless of vaccination status. 

If Plan D were to be brought in, however, all pubs and restaurants would be forced to stop indoor service completely and adopt only outdoor service.

And finally, Plan E would see a return to lockdown with all pubs, cafes, restaurants and non-essential retail closed. People would only be permitted to leave their homes for essential reasons like work, food shopping and medical appointments, while schools would be the last to close. 

In a pre-recorded message to the nation last night, Prime Minister Boris Johnson declared the new variant as an ’emergency’ and warned the public that ‘there is a tidal wave of Omicron coming’. 

The PM said it is clear that two doses of vaccine are ‘simply not enough to give the level of protection we all need’, and added that scientists are confident that with a third dose – a booster dose –  protection levels will rise.

There, he announced that booster jabs will be offered to everyone over the age of eighteen from this week, bringing the target to vaccinate every adult forward by one month.

In order to reach the new booster target at the end of the month, certain other medical appointments will need to be postponed until the New Year, with some GPs already postponing routine health checks to make space for vaccinations.

Extra vaccine sites and mobile units will be set up across England, opening hours of clinics will be extended with more appointments made available, and ‘thousands more’ volunteer vaccinators will be trained.