UK PM Boris Johnson rules out pre-Christmas lockdown

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that the government has no plans of issuing tougher Covid-19 restrictions despite a surge in cases of the Omicron variant.

"We don't think today that there is enough evidence to justify any tougher measures before Christmas," Johnson said in a video address published on his Twitter page. The government will continue to closely monitor the data related to the spread of the Omicron strain and make efforts to "protect public health," including a possible toughening of restrictions after Christmas, he added.

The prime minister also urged citizens to follow health rules and get vaccinated given the "uncertainty" of the situation.

In recent weeks, the daily average of infections has exceeded 90,000 cases. As of December 21, the authorities have confirmed 90,629 new cases and 172 fatalities.

In this regard, the government announced earlier in the day an allocation of $1.3 billion to assist businesses hit by a new wave of the virus.

(ANI)