Boris Johnson Sees Nothing in U.K. Covid Data to Warrant Further Curbs

(Bloomberg) --

The U.K. government sees nothing in the data to suggest the need for further Covid-19 regulations, Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s spokesman said, even as new cases remain at record levels.

Some 157,758 new coronavirus cases were logged nationwide on Monday, driven by the fast-spreading omicron variant. That brought the seven-day running total to almost 1.2 million, according to official data. 

Yet while hospital admissions and occupancy are “increasing significantly,” the cases appear to be less serious than in previous waves of the pandemic, spokesman Max Blain told reporters at a regular briefing on Tuesday. 

“We’re not seeing the same jump in beds that require ventilation,” he said. “At the moment we don’t see any data to suggest that further restrictions would be the right approach.”

Johnson’s office later said the prime minister will update the nation on the Covid situation in a press conference at 5 p.m. in London, alongside Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty and Chief Scientific Officer Patrick Vallance.

Blain’s comments suggest he’ll stick with the lighter-touch regulations that have characterized his approach to the latest wave of coronavirus, relying on its vaccine booster program while allowing businesses to remain open.

On Wednesday, the government is due to announce the findings of a review into the current measures, which include mandatory face masks in certain settings and Covid-19 certification to gain entry to venues and large events. 

When introduced last month, they triggered the biggest rebellion of Conservative members of Parliament of Johnson’s time in office, leaving him little room to maneuver when it comes to tightening the rules further.

While the government looks likely to keep the current measures in place for now, the legislation contains a sunset clause meaning they expire on Jan. 26.

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