Real Journalism by Leeds Hacks

Boris Johnson faces backlash from public after UK is moved into Plan B Coronavirus restrictions

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A picture of a building in Leeds City Centre
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The Prime Minister has faced retaliation from citizens who are considering ignoring government guidelines after the news of the Downing Street Christmas party which took place last year.

According to gov.uk, early analysis has suggested that cases of Omicron “could be doubling at a rate of 2.5 to 3 days”.

Just today, the UK’s Covid alert level has been raised to Level 4 due to the fast spread of the Omicron variant.

The new variant has posed a larger threat than the government were originally expecting.

The government laid out its plan in September of this year to address coronavirus throughout the winter with ‘Plan B’ measures, as a way of saving the NHS from coming under unendurable strain.

The restrictions have been put into place to battle the new variant, which has become a large threat to the public. The South African strain has now been found in multiple cities across the country, despite the Government’s best efforts to isolate cases of Omicron.

With lab processing taking up to 10 days, the variant has beaten the government. Today (13th Dec) marked the first death of someone with the new variant in the country.

Boris Johnson has announced that Plan B will be coming into effect this week, meaning face coverings are to become compulsory in many indoor public venues, and NHS Covid Passes to be required in most public indoor settings.

The Prime Minister faced a variety of reactions from citizens after last week’s announcement to move the country a step closer to a nationwide lockdown.

One Twitter user, @leebee999, expressed his anger: “Plan B Work from home, wear masks, get vaccine passport in case NHS is overwhelmed with Omicron snuffles… BUT no need to cancel Christmas parties! Wake up FFS – we are being shafted by Boris!”

Other parts of the UK have implemented stricter measures.

Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland’s First Minister, announced that a 10-day isolation period will be put back into place for those who have come into contact with someone who has tested positive.

Ministers have supposedly been keen to quash concerns over another lockdown but have not ruled it out completely.

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