In order to slow down the spread of the Omicron coronavirus variant, public transport and shops in the UK once again mandate the wearing of masks.
People arriving in the UK from abroad must now also undergo PCR testing and self-quarantine until they receive a negative result.
Boris Johnson is expected to develop a booster jab plan in England at a later press conference.
On Monday, the government announced a significant expansion of the scope of intensified injections as part of its efforts to help stop the wave of potential infections. They will be available to all people over 18 years old in the UK, and children between 12 and 15 years old will be invited for a second jab.
More local pharmacies can be part of the roll-out, and there may be some priorities to ensure that disadvantaged groups receive complementary medicines first—just like the original plan.
Three more Omicron cases have been detected in Scotland, and Health Minister Sajid Javid said that cases of this new variant are expected to continue to rise.
Early evidence suggests that Omicron-first discovered in Southern Africa-has a higher risk of reinfection. But scientists say it will take about three weeks to know how this mutation affects the effectiveness of the vaccine.
Mr. Johnson said that the new masks and testing measures will “give us time to deal with this new variant.”
Richard Walker, the managing director of the Icelandic grocery chain, told the BBC that his company supports mandatory masks, but he will not require employees to supervise those who refuse to wear masks.
The Minister of Nursing Gillian Keegan told the BBC Breakfast that doing the right thing “is up to the individual”, calling on the public to be “wise” and saying that she understands Mr. Walker’s position.
Although it is not yet clear what the new variant may have, she said people should continue their Christmas plans, but be “cautious.”
The English police said they would “cooperate with relevant business owners and their employees” to ensure that people comply with the new mask regulations.
National Police Chiefs’ Commission Assistant Sheriff Owen Weatherl said police officers would come into contact with people who don’t wear masks and encourage them to do so.
These changes will be reviewed within three weeks, and the Minister of Health told members of Congress that they will have the opportunity to vote on them.
Scientists agree that if the worst fears become reality, the accelerated booster program is the key to fighting Omicron.
The challenge it faces is that the infrastructure that successfully delivered the jab in the first half of this year has shrunk.
Three-quarters of the vaccinations are provided by a team led by a general practitioner. But many of these general practitioners and staff have now returned to their daily work, focusing on the introduction of the flu vaccine and their patients.
Restarting any of these will not happen immediately, so in the short term, the simplest solution is to extend the opening hours of the remaining large centers and provide more support to high street pharmacists who are also involved.
There are currently about 2.5 million booster injections per week-at this rate, it may take about three months to provide a booster for everyone.
Mr. Javid said that if the variant is found to be “not more dangerous than the Delta variant,” then the measures will not “exceed the necessary day”.
The new regulations on face masks bring England into line with Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, where face masks must be worn on public transport and in many indoor areas.
The newly released guidelines stated that they should be worn in shops, shopping malls, post offices, banks, hairdressers, food delivery and other places, as well as on public transportation.
Although this change does not require Britons to wear masks in bars and restaurants, in some cases, hospitality places in other parts of the UK need to wear masks.
The shadow health minister of the Labor Party, Dr Rosena Allin-Khan, said the government should not stop requiring the British public to wear masks.
Another change that has taken effect requires all contacts of suspected Omicron cases to self-isolate for 10 days, even if they have been fully vaccinated.
At the same time, the first ministers of Scotland and Wales called for changes to the PCR test requirements so that everyone arriving in the UK must be quarantined for eight days.
The latest case of the Omicron variant in England was found in the Camden and Wandsworth areas of London. Like the other three cases in England, they are related to travel in southern Africa.
In early November, the average number of Covid cases diagnosed daily in the UK began to rise again. Another 42,583 cases were reported on Monday.
Dr. Jenny Harris, director of the UK’s Health and Safety Agency, told the BBC that it is hoped that the booster vaccine dose can “to a certain extent offset the potential decline in the effectiveness of this variant vaccine that we may find.”
NHS England stated that it will “soon” determine how to expand the booster vaccine program, including who to prioritize and how to expand capacity.
An NHS spokesperson said that boosters will be provided in order of priority and urge people to come forward “as soon as possible” when they receive a call.
Dr. Farah Jameel, chair of the British Medical Association GP Committee, told the BBC that GP’s approach requires suspension of their contract targets so that they can “refocus on clinical focus” to support the launch of the jab.
The University of Oxford has developed the Covid vaccine together with AstraZeneca, and the university stated that it can update its vaccine “swiftly” “if necessary” to address the Omicron variant.
After Moderna’s boss expressed doubts about the effectiveness of the vaccine against the new Omicron Covid variant, European stock markets fell.
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Post time: Dec-01-2021