On Saturday, November 27 Prime Minister Boris Johnson held a Covid press conference to address the new Omicron Covid-19 variant which was first detected in South Africa.
At time of writing, three cases had been identified in England and a further six were confirmed in Scotland on Monday, November 29.
The Omicron variant has been ruled a “variant of concern” by the World Health Organisation, and worries have been raised over its ability to cause reinfection.
To help slow down the spread of the new variant, a number of measures have been reintroduced in England. These will remain in place for 3 weeks when they will be assessed to see if they can be removed or extended.
The rules will come into effect on Tuesday, November 30, here is a list of the new measures you need to know about.
Face masks return
The Prime Minister announced that mandatory face coverings would once again be required in some public settings. This however does not apply to hospitality settings.
Masks will be required in retail establishments such as shops.
COVID UPDATE: All contacts of suspected Omicron cases must self-isolate for 10 days, regardless of their vaccination status. They will be contacted by NHS Test and Trace. pic.twitter.com/nNQXxM5Qo8
— UK Prime Minister (@10DowningStreet) November 27, 2021
Self-isolation rules are stricter
Those who come into contact with a suspected Omicron case will need to isolate for a full 10 days. Unlike previous rules, this will be the case whether or not you are fully vaccinated.
Travel isolation
From 4am on Tuesday, November 30 all travellers in the UK will be required to take PCR test on or before day 2 and self-isolate until they have received a negative test result.
These PCR tests can be purchased from private providers and free NHS tests are not valid for this purpose.
Booster jabs could be extended to all adults
The JCVI is also meeting on Monday, November 29 to discuss whether booster jabs should be extended to all adults. They are also expected to discuss closing the gap between the second and booster doses.
This is hoped to limit the spread of the new Omicron variant.
The announcement on the expansion of the booster programme could come as early as Monday.
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