On 8 December Boris Johnson held a COVID-19 press conference during which he announced the Plan B rules for England.
The speakers were Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Sir Patrick Vallance, Chief Scientific Officer and Professor Chris Whitty, Chief Medical Officer, England.
A Summary of the main points
Beginning Friday December 10
Most interior public venues, such as places of worship, theatres, and movies, as well as stores and public transportation, will need face coverings.
Masks will continue to be unnecessary in places like pubs and restaurants, as well as places where it is “impractical to wear them” (for instance, where exercise or singing takes place).
From Monday 13 December
People should work from home “if they can”.
From Wednesday 15 December (subject to parliamentary approval)
People will need an NHS Covid Pass, or a negative lateral flow test, to obtain entrance to the following places:
- Nightclubs
- Venues with more than 500 people that are not seated indoors
- Outdoor venues with more than 4,000 people that are not seated
- Any venue having a capacity of more than 10,000 persons
What is the purpose of the new changes?
Omicron, a new Covid variety, has been discovered,and there are fears that it will be more infectious and resistant to vaccines. Scientists are taking precautions until they can adequately examine the new variant’s impact.
Source: BBC News
Plan B Rules for England – Watch the press conference
YouTube Plan B Rules for England press conference with BSL interpretation
View the transcript (on the government’s website) of Boris Johnsons’s opening statement at the press conference
View the slides and datasets (on the government’s website) that accompanied the press conference
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