Mad dash for festive food now Christmas is DEFINITELY back on

Christmas is back ON! Mad dash for festive food sees HUGE queues outside supermarkets and shops two days before Dec 25 after Boris gave green light on households mixing and studies revealed Omicron IS milder Covid variant than Delta

Shoppers have rushed out in their droves to stock up on food ahead of Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve
Prime Minister Boris Johnson gave the green light on households mixing on December 25 earlier this week
Massive queues formed outside supermarkets including Tesco, butchers and cheesemongers today
Families could well be stocking up on party food and wine for private New Year’s Eve parties

Shoppers have rushed out in their droves to stock up on food as the prospect of fresh Covid restrictions after Christmas looms large.

Massive queues formed outside supermarkets including Tesco and Marks and Spencer, butchers and cheesemongers in Bristol, Crawley and Hampshire today after Boris Johnson gave the green light on households mixing on December 25.

A change in self-isolation rules means that thousands of people who faced Christmas alone after testing positive can now enjoy festivities with friends and family. However, mounting uncertainty about the Omicron variant is threatening to plunge the country further into crisis.

And with the Prime Minister refusing to rule out fresh curbs next week, families could well be stocking up on party food and wine for private New Year’s Eve parties.

MPs and hospitality chiefs are begging for clarity on the New Year period, which could be make or break for many bars and restaurants after Government ‘scare stories’ about Omicron in recent weeks triggered a wave of cancellations.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid Javid today insisted there are no plans for any further Covid restrictions this week, but warned: ‘We will keep the situation under review. We will keep analysing that data and if need to do anything more we will’.

As England adopts a ‘wait and see’ approach, ministers in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have announced stringent controls including limits on social gatherings and compulsory business closures from Boxing Day.

Care Minister Gillian Keegan has told people to only plan New Year’s Eve parties they can cancel at short notice. She announced that 14 people have died with Omicron in the UK. However, the Government has not yet revealed any details about the victims – including their ages, their underlying state of health, and whether or not they were vaccinated.

As the coronavirus crisis lurches into its latest dramatic phase:

Boris Johnson is today being urged to ditch the idea of New Year restrictions after studies showed the Omicron strain is milder than Delta;
Britain is considering giving out fourth Covid vaccines in a bid to stop the surge of Omicron cases, following the lead of Germany and Israel;
Millions will face travel chaos over Christmas and the New Year thanks to rail strikes, airport disruption and predictions of the busiest roads in years;
The Army will be called in to help run makeshift Covid wards inside hospital canteens, car parks and meeting rooms if the NHS becomes overwhelmed;
Covid hospitalisations in London have risen 50 per cent in a week to 301, approaching the Government’s threshold of 400 for introducing lockdown.

Panicking shoppers rushed out in their droves to stock up on food at a Tesco supermarket in Bristol

People are seen queuing for a butchers in Petersfield in Hampshire this morning

People are seen queuing for a butchers in Petersfield in Hampshire as Covid uncertainty grips the country

Shoppers formed a big queue outside a Marks and Spencer store in Crawley this morning

People were seeing forming a big queue outside a butchers in Gravesend today amid Covid uncertainty

Researchers at Imperial College London found Omicron is 10 per cent less likely to cause hospitalisation in someone who has never been vaccinated or previously infected with Covid than with Delta. Hospitalisation is up to 20 per cent less likely in the general population — including those who have been infected or vaccinated — and 45 per cent less likely for at least a night

SAGE scientist Professor Neil Ferguson – who just last week warned there could be up to 5,000 daily Omicron deaths in the UK – said the country’s fourth wave will be ‘nothing like what we seen last year, with ICUs overflowing with patients’ on the back of the new findings. Right, Prime Minister Boris Johnson

By Eleanor Hayward, Health Correspondent for the Daily Mail

Nine in ten Omicron deaths are in unvaccinated patients, data from South Africa shows.

Of the country’s 309 deaths from the variant, just 40 have been in those who had received two vaccine doses. It means 87 per cent of deaths were in patients who have had only a single dose or no jabs at all.

Its health officials said the death rate from the Omicron variant is ‘lower than at any other point of the pandemic’ while hospitalisation rates are 80 per cent lower.

Just 5 per cent of hospitalised patients have died from the virus during the Omicron outbreak, compared to 24 per cent in previous waves.

The figures highlight the crucial role of vaccines in preventing severe disease. The research was carried out by scientists from institutions such as the University of the Witwatersrand and were published by the National Institute for Communicable Diseases, along with a study confirming Omicron leads to milder illness.

Scientists looked at data from more than 160,000 people with Covid, comparing hospitalisation rates during the Omicron wave with previous variants.

After adjusting for other factors, the researchers found people with Omicron are 80 per cent less likely to be admitted to hospital.

Lead author Professor Cheryl Cohen said: ‘Omicron is behaving in a way that is less severe.

‘Our data really suggest a positive story of a reduced severity of Omicron compared to other variants.’

The study said it was too early to know if high levels of immunity from previous infection and/or vaccines were keeping hospitalisations low.

Tory MP Andrew Bridgen said the latest Omicron findings show there is ‘certainly no need for any further restrictions’.

Conservative former leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith said the lower severity has a ‘a huge bearing on what is happening’.

‘No more restrictions. it is becoming absolutely clear that those of us who said don’t will be proved right now,’ he told MailOnline.

‘It is time for the scientists to stop Project Fear.’

Sir Iain said that Mr Johnson should come out and reassure people that they can carry on relatively normally.

‘The public needs to feel OK. Yes they need to be careful. Yes in crowden circumstances wearing facemasks, yes use hand sanitiser… but that is not the same as stay away, don’t visit your family all that stuff. The answer is, we just get on with it,’ he added.

The reaction came after a study found that even an unvaccinated person who has never had Covid and has no immunity, there was a 10 per cent lower risk of being hospitalised with Omicron compared to Delta.

For someone how has been recently infected, the chance of hospitalisation was slashed by 69 per cent in both vaccinated and unvaccinated people.

The finding may explain why in South Africa, where up to 70 per cent of people have immunity from prior infection but only a quarter are jabbed, is seeing daily hospitalisations stall at less than 400.

‘Professor Lockdown’ Neil Ferguson said: ‘You can see in London, we are getting a lot more people hospitalised. Not for very long, probably not with very severe illness.

‘And that’s not a reflection of Omicron versus Delta, that was already true for Delta infections, that they’re less severe than they were last year because there’s a lot of immunity in the population.

‘The challenge is, if there’s enough of them it still poses quite a challenge to the NHS. We’re not talking about anything like what we saw last year with over-flowing intensive care units and ventilator beds.’

The notoriously gloomy expert confirmed he expected the Omicron wave to be milder, with patients discharged from hospitals quicker and fewer Covid deaths, but warned there could still be significant pressure on the NHS.

He also warned that if infections are 40 per cent higher than they were with Delta then that could offset any reduction in severity.

Furious hospitality chiefs are begging for urgent clarity from Mr Johnson on what ‘damaging’ Covid restrictions will be imposed after December 25.

The Prime Minister is planning to announce new curbs between Christmas and New Year as the Omicron variant plunges the country further into crisis.

Record 1.4MILLION people had Covid in UK last week – one in 50 – official data shows as symptom study claims half of everyone with a cold has Omicron — but 95% of adults now have antibodies

Nearly 1.4million people — one in 50— had Covid across the UK last week, official data from the country’s largest surveillance study showed today.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) Covid infection survey — based on random swabs of 554,323 people — estimated 1.2million people had the virus on any day in the week up to December 16 in England alone.

Overall, 1,370,700 people were thought to be infected per day during the week — an all-time record for the survey — as the impact of the Omicron variant on infections became evident.

And separate research from King’s College London scientists showed cases ‘exploded’ with an estimated 144,284 new symptomatic infections per day in the week up to December 20, up 66 per cent on the previous week.

The figure was the largest ever recorded by the ZOE symptom-tracking study, with the previous highest coming in the week up to October 23 this year, when 92,953 infections were estimated to occur on any given day.

Professor Tim Spector, the epidemiologist who runs the study, said while the high infection level was ‘worrying’, his study was in line with the wealth evidence showing Omicron is milder. He claimed half of everyone who had a cold last week probably has Omicron.

Professor Spector: ‘The number of new symptomatic cases has exploded over the last week, making it the biggest jump in cases I’ve seen since we started the ZOE Covid Study.

‘Whilst the figures paint a worrying picture, the good news is that our preliminary data, based on around 2,500 probable cases reported on the ZOE app suggests that Omicron is more mild that Delta.

‘However, this highly transmissible variant will infect many more people before the year is out. To help us slow the spread, my advice continues to be [to] avoid gathering indoors, and, if you are meeting up with people, check everyone is free of cold symptoms, test yourself just before and get fully vaccinated.’

But current restrictions and Covid fears have driven people away from city centres. Last night, London’s party capital Soho was so quiet that pubs and restaurants shut by 10pm. At the weekend, pubs, restaurants and bars suffered a 40 per cent slump in sales, while Greene King said some of its sites were down 80 per cent on pre-pandemic levels.

And in a further blow to the ‘devastated’ hospitality sector, around 6million adults in the UK are planning to bring in the New Year at home over Zoom.

Economists have now estimated that restrictions in place across the UK have already cost the hospitality and retail sectors £2.7billion this month.

An analysis by the Centre for Economics and Business Research has found that bars and nightclubs would lose £450million in earnings on New Year’s Eve alone if they are forced to close, while Government limits on family events on December 31 could take a further £100million out of the economy.

Last night, hospitality leaders in Wales said Mark Drakeford’s punitive Boxing Day restrictions ‘will ‘virtually close Wales’ events industry’.

Business leaders in Northern Ireland branded new controls coming into force from December 26 ‘unacceptable and unforgivable’. And hospitality chiefs in Scotland called Nicola Sturgeon’s Hogmanay clampdown ‘a devastating blow’ to the sector.

A survey by the Night Time Industries Association found that bars, pubs and nightclubs have already lost around half of their December income, with individual premises recording ‘Covid debts’ of more than £100,000. Around four in ten said they will go to the wall in less a month without financial aid, while half said more than 50 per cent of jobs are at risk.

UKHospitality chief executive Kate Nicholls said businesses’s hopes of recouping losses have been ‘shattered’ by the measures.

‘The cost of the sector having to shut down the reopen is staggering and will delay our recovery even further – inevitably costing thousands of jobs,’ she added.

Douglas McWilliams, the CEBR’s deputy chairman, told MailOnline: ‘Any decision on a further tightening of restrictions needs to balance the medical gains with the economic damage.

‘On the data available at present it looks as though the potential economic damage would be a lot more serious, particularly to the hard-pressed hospitality sector, than any gain from reduced transmission of the new variant.’

Alastair Kerr, South West Regional Representative for the Campaign for Pubs, called the prospect of more restrictions ‘a great worry to many in the hospitality sector’.

‘We have seen many of our beloved publicans give up over the past few weeks due to the added pressure of restrictions and the lack of clear Government advice and assistance for their businesses,’ he told MailOnline.

‘Many publicans have also cancelled their beer & stock orders for the coming weeks as there is no certainty they will be able to open post Christmas to trade.

‘The recent announcement of financial grants by the Chancellor has done very little to assure a struggling industry as for many, these grants do not go far enough to cover the festive period and barely cover rent let only business overheads.

‘What our publicans need is clarity on the Governments position to relieve the great stress and anxiety that is felt by all in the hospitality sector at present.’

Wales has had the lowest Covid rate of the UK nations over the last seven days at 606 cases per 100,000 people – much lower than London’s rate of 1,400 cases per 100,000.

However, Wales’s daily Covid cases yesterday were almost double last week’s figure with 4,662 new infections, compared to 2,431 on the same day last week.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid said the emerging findings on severity were ‘encouraging’ after No10 confirmed that there will be no more announcements on toughening rules until next week

The chaotic Christmas getaway BEGINS: Furious rail passengers are stranded by CANCELLED trains amid staffing crisis… while car fire grinds traffic to a HALT on M5 as 18MILLION vehicles hit the roads over next two days

The scramble to race home for Christmas before further Covid restrictions are imposed has triggered travel chaos today, with furious rail passengers complaining of train cancellations and a car fire bringing one of Britain’s busiest motorways to a standstill.

More than 18million vehicles will hit the roads today and Christmas Eve to see family and friends over the holiday, with the RAC estimating that 5million alone will head out tomorrow on what is being dubbed ‘frantic festive Friday’.

But CrossCountry last night warned that rail strikes will see a reduced number of trains running tomorrow and on New Year’s Eve.

And travellers using Heathrow Airport on Boxing Day also face issues as it will be cut off from Tube and train links due to engineering works.

Hundreds of rail passengers were pictured waiting at London’s Euston Station this morning. Others complained that their services were cancelled, with rail operators urging them to get on other trains. However, the prospect of packed carriages has sparked fears of a Covid ‘super-spreader’ among travellers.

During rush hour, a car fire on the M5 northbound between junctions 19 and 20 near Clevedon brought traffic in both directions to a standstill. There were no reported injuries. The vehicle remains on the hard shoulder of the M5, with emergency services and National Highways teams will assess whether the road needs resurfacing once the car is removed.

The Welsh Government is not imposing rules on families mixing in private homes, but has issued tougher guidance which ‘strongly’ advises people to limit household mixing. Mr Drakeford has recommended that no more than three households mix indoors.

He said the measures are necessary because ‘we are facing a very serious situation in Wales’ as he piled the pressure on Mr Johnson.

Tory MPs accused Mr Drakeford of overreacting as they described the new curbs as ‘disproportionate’ and claimed the Labour politician had made the move because ‘he wants to do something different to the UK Government just to show that he can’.

Mr Johnson hit the brakes on a Christmas lockdown in England as scientists concluded Omicron is likely to be milder than Delta, with ministers saying cases are also lower than feared.

The Prime Minister declared that Christmas can definitely go ahead ‘cautiously’, but warned that the Government is tracking the spread of the mutant strain hour by hour and is ‘ready’ to act after December 25 if necessary.

However, in a glimmer of light there are claims that the UK Health Security Agency has tentatively backed suggestions that Omicron infections tend to be less severe.

The scientists also endorsed previous findings that booster jabs offer significant protection from developing symptoms and ending up in hospital, according to Politico.

Another South African study has suggested the risk of hospitalisation is 80 per cent lower with the variant.

The evidence does not mean that the threat from the variant can be ignored, as it is so transmissible that large numbers are set to end up needing urgent care.

Government sources are adamant that it did not play a part in the decision on Christmas last night.

However, the apparent findings will be a significant boost to the Prime Minister as he weighs up whether to bring in even tougher restrictions as early as next week.

It came as The Guardian reported that the NHS could set up ‘field hospitals’ in hospital car parks to provide ‘super surge’ capacity if Omicron causes a massive spike in hospitalisations above previous peak levels.

Meanwhile hospitality bosses have called for more support from the Government.

Emma McClarkin, chief executive of the British Beer and Pub Association, told MailOnline: ‘Our overwhelming hope is that we can remain open and trading over Christmas and into the New Year.

‘It is a crucial time for pubs and brewers and after such a challenging year people will be desperate to ring in 2022 with a pint at their local.’

And Peter Marks, chief executive of Rekom, the UK’s largest operator of late bars and clubs, told BBC Radio 4 that New Year’s Eve alone is worth up to 10 per cent of its profits during an ‘absolutely critical’ time of year.

He said: ‘We’re running at 40 per cent down at a period of time which is absolutely critical for us as a business and cash flow, staring at next weekend – wondering, well, we’re probably OK to Christmas now, albeit limping along, but may not even be open on New Year’s Eve which is worth about 8 to 10 per cent of our annual profit.’

Retail is also being badly hit, with the New West End Company saying the number of shoppers in the London district was yesterday down 27 per cent on pre-pandemic levels.

How Covid restrictions compare across the UK

Stormont ministers in Northern Ireland have unveiled new measures to help combat rising case numbers of coronavirus in the nation.

On Wednesday evening, ministers agreed a series of restrictions due to come into force on Boxing Day, including the closure of nightclubs, and guidance to limit contacts with different households.

Here, we look at how the measures compare in the different UK nations.

– What is the situation in England?

One big change which has taken place from December 22 is the rules surrounding the self-isolation period.

If a person in England has tested positive or has symptoms, they can stop self-isolating after seven days instead of 10 days if they receive two negative lateral flow test results on days six and seven.

Those who are unvaccinated close contacts of positive cases must still isolate for 10 days.

In terms of restrictions, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has reassured people that no further curbs will be introduced in England before December 25. He has yet to announce a post-Christmas Covid strategy for England.

England currently has the most relaxed rules in the UK, but a recent vote in Parliament saw some measures introduced, including Covid passes for entry into nightclubs and other venues as of December 15.

This applies to indoor events with 500 or more attendees where people are likely to stand or move around, such as music venues, outdoor events with 4,000 or more attendees, such as music festivals, and any events with 10,000 or more attendees, whether indoors or outdoors, such as sports stadiums.

Face coverings have also been made compulsory in most indoor public settings, as well as on public transport, and people have been told to work from home if they can.

People aged 18 and over are able to get their third jabs from this week.

England’s guidance is that people should work from home if they can. Anyone who cannot work from home should continue to go in to work – but is encouraged to consider taking lateral flow tests regularly.

– What are the rules in Wales?

From December 26, groups of no more than six people will be allowed to meet in pubs, cinemas and restaurants in Wales.

Licensed premises will have to offer table service only, face masks will have to be worn and contact tracing details collected and the two-metre social distancing rules are set to return in public places and workplaces.

Sporting events will be played behind closed doors to help control the spread of the new Omicron variant.

Nightclubs will also be closed from Boxing Day under the new rules, although the Welsh Government has announced a £120 million fund to support any businesses affected by the restrictions.

Regulations will also be changed to include a requirement to work from home wherever possible.

A maximum of 30 people can attend indoor events and a maximum of 50 people at outdoor events. There will be an exception for team sports, where up to 50 spectators will be able to gather in addition to those taking part.

People attending weddings or civil partnership receptions or wakes are also being told to take a lateral flow test before attending.

– What about Scotland?

From Boxing Day, large events will have one-metre social distancing and will be limited to 100 people standing indoors, 200 people sitting indoors and 500 people outdoors.

The following day, the one-metre physical distancing will be implemented between adults in all indoor hospitality and leisure settings, including pubs, bars, restaurants, cafes and other settings where food and drink is served, gyms, theatres, cinemas, bingo and snooker halls and bowling alleys.

Museums, galleries and other visitor attractions also have the same rules in place.

Table service is also required where alcohol is being served.

Ministers at Holyrood have announced a package totalling £375 million, including £175 million of additional funding from the Treasury, to support sectors affected by the latest protective measures to combat Omicron.

Since December 14, people have been asked to reduce their social contact as much as possible by meeting in groups of no more than three households.

Allowing staff to work from home where possible has become a legal duty on employers.

Care home visits have also been limited to two households.

– What is Northern Ireland doing?

Northern Ireland deputy First Minister Michelle O’Neill said nightclubs will be closed from 6am on December 26.

Dancing will also be prohibited in hospitality venues, but this will not apply to weddings.

While nightclubs must close, other restrictions are coming into effect on the rest of the hospitality sector. People must remain seated for table service, while table numbers will be limited to six.

Ministers also agreed that sporting events can continue with no limits on capacity, while the work-from-home message is being bolstered and legislation introduced to require social distancing in offices and similar typed workplaces.

Weddings are exempted from the latest measures.

From December 27, the guidance is for mixing in a domestic setting to be limited to three households.

‘We’ve NO other option but to open on NYE’: Pub boss says hospitality firms need clarity on Covid curbs during ‘critical week’ for trade – as photos show London’s party capital Soho DESERTED at 10pm just three nights before Christmas

Furious hospitality chiefs are begging for urgent clarity from Boris Johnson on what ‘damaging’ Covid restrictions will be imposed after December 25.

The Prime Minister is planning to announce new curbs between Christmas and New Year as the Omicron variant plunges the country further into crisis.

And in a further blow to the ‘devastated’ hospitality sector, around 6million adults in the UK are planning to bring in the New Year at home over Zoom.

Economists have now estimated that restrictions in place across the UK have already cost the hospitality and retail sectors £2.7billion this month.

A quiet Soho at night as many restaurants and bars ended up closing at 10pm due to low footfall in central London on Wednesday night

Tables outside restaurants in Soho, London, were empty last night at 10pm as people stayed home amid Covid-19

A quiet Soho at night as many restaurants and bars ended up closing early due to low footfall. With some closed completely not to reopen in the foreseeable future

Last night, hospitality leaders in Wales said Mark Drakeford’s punitive Boxing Day restrictions ‘will ‘virtually close Wales’ events industry’.

Business leaders in Northern Ireland branded new controls coming into force from December 26 ‘unacceptable and unforgivable’.

And hospitality chiefs in Scotland called Nicola Sturgeon’s Hogmanay clampdown ‘a devastating blow’ to the sector.

UKHospitality chief executive Kate Nicholls said businesses’s hopes of recouping losses have been ‘shattered’ by the measures.

‘The cost of the sector having to shut down the reopen is staggering and will delay our recovery even further – inevitably costing thousands of jobs,’ she added.

The chaotic Christmas getaway BEGINS: Furious rail passengers are stranded by CANCELLED trains amid staffing crisis… while car fire grinds traffic to a HALT on M5 as 18MILLION vehicles hit the roads over next two days

But CrossCountry last night warned that rail strikes will see a reduced number of trains running tomorrow and on New Year’s Eve.

And travellers using Heathrow Airport on Boxing Day also face issues as it will be cut off from Tube and train links due to engineering works.

The RAC predicted this year will be the busiest Christmas getaway on the roads in five years, with just one in ten polled saying they will use public transport. Major roads are likely to be particularly busy between 12pm and 4pm today, and 11am and 2pm tomorrow.

During rush hour, a car fire on the M5 northbound between junctions 19 and 20 near Clevedon brought traffic to a standstill

The vehicle remains on the hard shoulder of the M5, with emergency services and National Highways teams will assess whether the road needs resurfacing once the car is removed

Hundreds of passengers at Euston Rail Station in London waiting for updates on their train services today

Gatwick Airport has said it expects to welcome 750,000 passengers between December 18 and 31 – nearly seven times more than over the same period last year. Today and Boxing Day are expected to be among its busiest days, with up to 35,000 passengers each day. Popular destinations include Dublin and Cancun.

Bristol Airport is anticipating it will be used by more than 100,000 passengers between December 21 and 31. One of its busiest days will be December 27 when approximately 12,000 passengers will fly in or out of the airport.

And Liverpool John Lennon Airport said it expects around 40,000 passengers to pass through between Christmas Eve and January 3.

Though the number of people heading abroad is higher than last year, it remains way down on pre-pandemic levels.

Meanwhile, almost one in 20 trains were cancelled on Monday, while eight operators yesterday warned of the likelihood of last-minute cancellations.

And Network Rail said it is conducting signalling, track and HS2 work between Paddington and Slough on Christmas Day and Boxing Day, which means no trains will be able to serve Heathrow.

Britain considers FOURTH Covid vaccination: Experts will examine evidence on rolling out ANOTHER jab after Israel and Germany announced second booster to tackle Omicron threat

Britain is considering giving out fourth Covid vaccines in a bid to stop the surge of Omicron cases, following the lead of Germany and Israel.

The rollout of a second set of boosters is being examined by experts on the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI).

They will weigh up the levels of immunity granted by the extra jab as well as hospitalisation figures, The Telegraph reported.

Those with weakened immune systems are already entitled to a fourth job but the elderly and other vulnerable groups could soon be included.

Britain is considering giving out fourth Covid vaccines in a bid to stop the surge of Omicron cases

The fourth jab would likely come four months after the third if it gets the green light and could be available in the new year.

Professor Anthony Harnden, deputy chair of the JCVI, said: ‘We need to see more data. We are in different circumstances to Israel and we need to see more data on waning immunity and vaccine effectiveness against hospitalisation.’

An Israeli health expert, who s sharing findings with the UK, said they are already seeing waning immunity from the third jab, prompting the extra round of vaccinations.

Source: Read Full Article