KEEP CALM
New Year’s Eve revellers should take a lateral flow test and celebrate outside despite no Covid rules, Sajid Javid warns
SAJID Javid has announced NO new Covid measures will be introduced before New Year's Eve.
But the Health Secretary warned party-goers to take precautions to avoid the spread of Omicron as they ring in 2022.
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Mr Javid warned Brits to remain cautious as we approach the New Year, and to get boosted to ward off serious illness from Covid-19 variants, like Omicron.
It comes as a string of hugely positive studies show Omicron IS milder than other strains, with the first official UK report revealing the risk of hospitalisation is 50 to 70 per cent lower than with Delta.
Covid booster jabs protect against Omicron and offer the best chance to get through the pandemic, health officials have repeatedly said.
The Sun's Jabs Army campaign is helping get the vital extra vaccines in Brits' arms to ward off the need for any new restrictions.
Addressing the nation tonight, Mr Javid said: "We look at the data on a daily basis, that hasn't changed over the Christmas period, but there will be no further measures before the new year.
"We won't be taking any further measures, of course people should remain cautious as we approach new year celebrations and take a lateral flow test if that makes sense, celebrate outdoors if you can, have some ventilation indoors if you can.
"Please remain cautious and when we get into the new year of course we will see then if we do need to take any further measures but nothing more until then, at least."
But while there will be no new legal restrictions for England, that does not rule out country-wide "guidance".
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The guidance won't be legally enforced, but will include a raft of measures that officials strongly suggest Brits follow to keep the spread of Covid to a minimum.
Measures could include the reintroduction of the loathed Rule of Six in pubs and social settings.
It is understood that weddings, births, and funerals will be exempt from any new guidance, reports.
Boris Johnson has been reluctant to recall Parliament to rubberstamp legally-binding lockdown restrictions.
Tory MPs have urged caution in going beyond Plan B in England, with Conservative Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown calling for a "wait-and-see" approach to the impact of infections on hospital admissions.
Hopes that Mr Johnson will resist a circuit-break lockdown have been boosted by research which showed Brits infected Omicron are around 50 per cent less likely to end up in hospital.
And Britain is pushing on with it's monumental jab drive - as scientists insist getting a booster jab is the best protection against the latest strain.
More than 12,000 people were vaccinated on Christmas Day, with NHS staff praising the hundreds of thousands of "jingle jab" vaccinations this December
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On Boxing Day, 24,078 jabs were delivered, including 20,278 top-ups.
Taken with new figures from Christmas Eve, this means that 214,000 doses in total were delivered including 184,445 boosters.
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