UK Government Refuses to Rule out Christmas Lockdown

Shoppers, some wearing face coverings to combat the spread of Covid-19, walk past stalls a
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Nathaniel Charles

Deputy British Prime Minister Dominic Raab has refused to rule out that England may once again be forced into a lockdown before Christmas.

England is once again facing the prospect of lockdown restrictions being imposed during the holidays with the government being concerned about the spread of the Omicron variant of the Chinese coronavirus.

Dominic Raab admitted on Monday that the government “can’t make hard, fast guarantees” about what restrictions, including lockdowns, will be in place before Christmas, he told the BBC.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid also stated that there “no guarantees” over whether people will be banned from socially mixing households before Christmas.

Mr Javid has suggested that the government will not wait until they have all the facts and data before making a decision about new restrictions, stating: “If we wait until the data is perfect, it may be too late”.

Professor Stephen Reicher, who advises the government on a SAGE coronavirus sub-group, said on BBC Breakfast that more lockdown restrictions are probably necessary, and that “the safest thing is not to meet up before Christmas”.

Exactly what form a new lockdown would take remains to be seen, however, The Telegraph reported that the government is considering introducing curfews for pubs and restaurants, as well as possible limits on the mixing of households during the holidays.

This latest statements from Deputy Prime Minister Raab comes just over two weeks after he said that he predicted that it is “going to be a great Christmas,” and that the government “wants people to be able to enjoy Christmas this year”.

It would not be the first time that the government teased a lockdown free Christmas, however, as Prime Minister Boris Johnson promised the public a five-day respite from restrictions last year, only to about-face and cancel Christmas at the last minute for much of the South East, including London.

The leader of the so-called opposition, Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer stated that the left-wing party will once again support the government in introducing new restrictions, but criticised how slow the government has been in bringing in more coronavirus legislation.

“The ball’s in his [Boris Johnson’s] court, but where is he?” Mr Starmer questioned in relation to the government’s position.

The threat of new restrictions being introduced comes amid another scandal for the Conservative government, with a photo being leaked on Sunday appearing to show Prime Minster Johnson, his wife Carrie Johnson, and at least 17 staffers enjoying cheese and wine outside Number 10 during the national lockdown last year.

Number 10 has insisted that this wasn’t a party, claiming that it was a “work meeting”.

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