Boris Johnson says Covid Passes will be mandatory for large gatherings

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The return of ‘scanning in’ to hospitality venues and mandatory 10 day self-isolation periods are examples of further measures that the Government could look to employ should they feel necessary to combat the ongoing Covid pandemic in the UK. Sources suggest Boris Johnson may have to move to supposed ‘Plan C’ restrictions soon – but what exactly does this entail?

Last week the Prime Minister announced that he was completely rolling out his Covid winter ‘Plan B’ as the spread of the Omicron variant and rising case numbers threatened to overwhelm the NHS.

Measures that were unveiled included compulsory wearing of face coverings in most indoor spaces, such as theatres and cinemas.

Guidance for people to work from home where possible – that had been previously issued by the Government during the pandemic – was also reintroduced.

However, daily Covid case numbers for the UK are continuing to rise – 54,073 reported for Saturday, December 11 – as are the numbers relating specifically to the Omicron variant, which now stand at 1,898 in total.

Consequently, the PM could move to extend Covid measures for the UK as early as next week. So, if he was to make this decision what exactly could he impose on the public?

Face masks in all indoor venues

The rules on face coverings were tightened last Friday but still have some wiggle room to be extended further.

For example, it’s not yet mandatory for anyone who enters hospitality areas, gyms or leisure centres to wear a mask whilst inside these spaces.

If the Government were to apply this rule more stringently these venues could come under threat.

Vaccine passports

From this Wednesday (December 15) you will need a NHS Covid Pass to enter a nightclub, other late-night venues, indoor events with more than 500 people, outdoor ones with more than 4,000 people and any event with more than 10,000 people.

This pass can be gained either through proof of an individual’s vaccination status or a negative lateral flow test taken no more than 48 hours before entering this space.

Should they wish, the Government could reinforce this measure even further by removing the option of a negative lateral flow test and only allowing people who are fully vaccinated entry.

Although, this move would be controversial and undermine public trust as politicians and scientists have warned in the past.

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Stricter self-isolation rules

Last August the rules around self-isolation were altered to allow those who came into contact with an infected person not to self-isolate so long as they were fully vaccinated.

The emergence of the Omicron variant did lead to several changes to this measure, the latest of which states you can avoid self-isolation if you are deemed a close contact of an Omicron case by taking daily tests.

Nonetheless, No 10 may feel the need to bring back the compulsory 10-day self-isolation rule for all close contacts regardless of a person’s vaccination status.

In fact, last Friday, Nicola Sturgeon announced the return of this exact restriction for Scotland.

Check-in’s for hospitality venues

The public could sooner rather than later be asked once again to check in to pubs and restaurants, using the NHS Covid app.

The rule has been used at previous points of the pandemic, but was scrapped after the ‘pingdemic’ forced thousands of staff and customers to self-isolate – which in turn led to workforce shortages across multiple sectors.

As daily cases of more than 50,000 persist and the Omicron variant continues its spread through communities the measure could soon be brought back into play.

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