Protecting Britain from the Omicron variant

Yesterday the Prime Minister made a statement in the House of Commons on the Omicron variant and our measures to contain the virus, fortify our NHS and keep our country open.

Although it is now clear that Omicron is milder than the Delta variant, we know the variant is spreading quickly. There is a risk that the rapid rise in hospital admissions will continue to increase the pressures on our NHS.

That is why the government will keep Plan B in place for another three weeks and continue to bolster our defences against the virus with our booster programme – with more than 34 million people now boosted. The government is also:

  • Simplifying international travel by removing the need for a pre-departure test and lifting the requirement to self-isolate on arrival until receipt of a PCR for fully vaccinated travellers, returning to the requirement of a lateral flow test no later than day two of arrival. 
  • Suspending the need to take a confirmatory PCR to confirm the result of a positive lateral flow test - with lateral flow results to be reported online and self-isolation to begin immediately. 

The best way to save lives, reduce the pressure on our NHS and keep our country open is to get your jabs - we continue to urge everyone to get boosted now.  

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