Boris Johnson To Hold Emergency Cabinet Meeting Today As Omicron Fears Rise
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The prime minister has called an emergency Cabinet meeting today over growing fears around the Omicron variant.
Boris Johnson has called upon the top members of government to congregate today, December 20, at 2.00pm to discuss the rapid spread of the latest variant of coronavirus.
The urgent COBRA meeting follows rising speculation over whether another lockdown could be implemented before or after Christmas Day.
A series of emergency meetings were also called over the weekend, however, the prime minister failed to show up to yesterday’s COBRA meeting alongside Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak.
The PM has so far been presented with three different options in order to stem the spread of coronavirus.
They include limiting indoor mixing, reintroducing social distancing, curfews, or even a temporary closure of non-essential shops and hospitality venues.
Moreover, Health Secretary Sajid Javid, has not ruled out a full-on lockdown going ahead prior to Christmas Day itself, after more than 90,000 daily cases of coronavirus were confirmed on Saturday, December 18. Omicron was identified as being responsible for over 10,000 of those cases.
Across the UK, another 82,886 cases were confirmed yesterday, December 19, alongside 45 deaths, The Sun reports.
Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) have warned that action needs to be taken before 2022, similar to that of ‘a national lockdown,’ in order to not overwhelm hospitals.
If you’ve been affected by coronavirus and want up to date advice, visit the Gov.uk help page here. If you need medical help call NHS 111 or visit online
