UK PM Johnson Orders New Mandates To Halt Omicron Variant From Spreading

U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has introduced a new set of draconian mandates designed to halt the spread of the Omicron variant.

What Happened: Johnson’s requirements, dubbed “Plan B,” include a new guidance on encouraging work from home and the mandatory use of face masks in all indoor venues except for restaurants and pubs.

Johnson is also introducing the use of COVID passports for unseated indoor venues with more than 500 people, unseated outdoor venues accommodating more than 4,000 people and any venue hosting more than 10,000 people.

Why It Happened: The new mandates go into effect on Monday. In an address to the U.K. public, Johnson insisted it was important to err on the side of caution in the wake of the new variant’s still-undetermined harshness.

“We do not yet know Omicron’s severity, its exact rate of transmission, nor indeed the full effectiveness of our vaccines against it,” Johnson said. “But since I last spoke to you, it’s become increasingly clear that Omicron is growing much faster than the previous Delta variant, and it’s spreading rapidly all around the world – 568 cases have been confirmed through genomic sequencing across every region of the U.K., and the true number is certain to be much higher."

“Most worryingly,” he added, “there is evidence that the doubling time of Omicron in the U.K. could currently be between two and three days.”

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What Else Happened: Johnson’s “Plan B” announcement comes in the aftermath of public anger over a leaked video that showed several of Johnson’s aides joking about hosting Christmas parties during the COVID lockdown period in 2020. Johnson issued an apology before the House of Commons, declaring, “I understand and share the anger up and down the country at seeing Number 10 staff seeming to make light of lockdown measures.”

Johnson added that "disciplinary action" would be taken against his aides if it was discovered that rules were broken in the hosting of parties last December. However, Sir Keir Starmer, leader of the opposition Labour Party, was more impressed with the “Plan B” mandates and less impressed with Johnson’s handling of the controversy surrounding the leaked video.

“I welcome stronger measures to protect people from Covid,” Starmer tweeted. “But Boris Johnson’s recent actions have undermined public trust. His contempt for the public won’t be forgotten. Serious times call for serious leadership. I hope the Prime Minister takes his own guidance this time.”

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Photo: Number 10 / Flickr Creative Commons