Key workers across several industries that keep the country running will be required to take COVID tests daily, the prime minister has announced.
Boris Johnson said 100,000 workers in England, "from food processing to transport to Border Force", will have to test every day they are working from 10 January.
The government will send lateral flow tests to those industries directly and will help organise the logistics.
Its aim is to ensure infections are caught as early as possible to minimise spreading COVID to colleagues, which has been causing major staff shortages.
Image:Boris Johnson held a news conference with Professor Sir Chris Whitty and Sir Patrick Vallance
'Ride out Omicron wave without shutting down'
Announcing the new testing measure at a Downing Street news briefing, the prime minister said that the UK "has a chance to ride out the Omicron wave without shutting down our country again".
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Mr Johnson said despite record daily coronavirus cases over the past week he will keep plan B in place and not immediately bring in more restrictions in England.
England's Chief Medical Officer Professor Sir Chris Whitty said that last week one in 25 people - "extraordinarily high levels" - in England had COVID but there has been no surge in mortality, although there are now 15,000 daily hospital admissions for people with the virus.
Sir Chris added that data now show the booster jab has 88% efficacy against severe infection and there is now 50%-70% less chance of being admitted to hospital with Omicron than with previous variants.
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1:23
ICU cases 'flat' - Sajid Javid
Record cases but different position from previous waves
Mr Johnson said in previous waves cases have not reached more than 100,000 a day but today there were 218,000 cases.
The PM added: "This is a moment for the utmost caution but our position today differs from previous waves in two crucial aspects."
He said Omicron is milder and while hospital admissions are rising quickly, they are not translating into the same numbers being admitted to intensive care and the massive numbers of people who have had a booster means the UK will "find a way to live with the virus".
Mr Johnson added that it is "absolutely crazy" there are two million vaccine appointment slots this week "yet the majority of people in ICU for COVID are not vaccinated - 61%".
Omicron now reaching older people
Chief Scientific Adviser Sir Patrick Vallance said Omicron has been a "virus of the young" so far but is now reaching older people - however, we cannot say a peak has been reached until cases in older age groups come down.
On Tuesday afternoon, Health Secretary Sajid Javid said the government is not looking at cutting the self-isolation period for those who test positive to five days.
Just before Christmas, the isolation period was cut to seven days if people test negative with a lateral flow on days six and seven - but must remain for 10 days if they test positive then.
There have since been calls to cut it further to five days, like the US, but the UK Health Security Agency explained the US starts counting the first day later than the UK so it would not be appropriate and is not a like-for-like comparison.
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1:17
'Hospitalisations have begun to rise in over-50s'
Hospitals under pressure
Mr Javid also confirmed as of Tuesday morning, six hospital trusts had declared critical incidents over the past two days but it could be more as it "is a very fast-moving situation".
When asked if the military could help with staff shortages, Mr Javid said it is already helping in vaccination centres.
He added that volunteers are also helping with NHS deliveries, as well as an emergency list of workers developed during the pandemic.
The health secretary said they may call on retired clinicians and other NHS staff to "come back and help".
Boris Johnson has admitted the NHS is coming under major pressure because of the Omicron coronavirus variant, but said England would stick with existing Covid-19 restrictions for now.
The prime minister is due to take a decision on Wednesday about whether to tighten curbs amid opposition from some of his ministers and Conservative MPs, and he said on Monday that Omicron was “plainly milder” than previous variants.
His comments came as ministers faced more criticism for failing to provide enough rapid Covid tests for people to use at home over the Christmas holiday period. The wholesaler contracted by the government to distribute these lateral flow tests to pharmacies in England, Alliance Healthcare, closed on Christmas Day and only resumed deliveries on December 29.
The government on Monday reported 157,758 coronavirus cases in England and Scotland in the latest 24 hour period, meaning almost 1.2m people across the UK have tested positive for Covid-19 over the past seven days, up 50 per cent compared with the previous week. But scientists warn that trends over the Christmas period are less reliable than usual because of incomplete reporting during the festive season.
The number of patients in UK hospitals with Covid increased by almost 50 per cent in the week to December 29, reaching nearly 12,000, as the NHS also contends with significant staff shortages as workers catch Omicron.
Johnson said: “I think we’ve got to recognise that the pressure on our NHS, on our hospitals, is going to be considerable in the course of the next couple of weeks, and maybe more.”
But he added Omicron “does seem pretty conclusively to be less severe than Delta or Alpha”.
He said the government would continue to keep relevant data under review, and would stick with its so-called plan B restrictions for England for the time being, which include wearing masks in public places and work from home guidance.
Nadhim Zahawi, education secretary, said there was “nothing in the data” to suggest the need for new measures in England in the coming weeks.
Chris Hopson, chief executive of NHS Providers, which represents hospital trusts, said data from London, the centre of the Omicron outbreak, was encouraging because daily growth in the number of people being admitted with Covid-19 was slowing.
He added the other “positive news” was that “hospitals are still not seeing large numbers of seriously ill older people. CEOs across the country are echoing London colleagues in pointing to the fact that care-home Omicron outbreaks are not translating into hospital admissions.
“The issue for the NHS is not the size of [the] very ill older people [with] Covid, but the number of staff absences and general admissions with Covid on top of existing pressures,” said Hopson.
Hospitals in Lincolnshire have declared a major incident because of “unprecedented” staff shortages related to coronavirus, and Hopson said a “number of trusts have declared internal critical incidents over the last few days”.
United Lincolnshire Hospitals, which runs four sites in the county, said it was taking “additional steps to maintain services” owing to significant staffing issues.
Meanwhile, Labour seized on the disclosure that Alliance Healthcare, the only wholesaler contracted by the government to distribute lateral flow tests to pharmacies in England, had shut for four days over the Christmas period.
Wes Streeting, shadow health secretary, said: “The government has been asleep at the wheel when it comes to England’s supply of Covid tests.”
Leyla Hannbeck, chief executive of the Association of Independent Multiple Pharmacies, a trade body, accused the government of not planning properly for the surge in public demand for tests following the Omicron outbreak.
“Why one wholesaler?” she asked. “It doesn’t make sense when you have such a big demand,” Hannbeck said, adding that other companies had applied for the contract.
Alliance said it had, on December 24, distributed more than 2m lateral flow tests to support community pharmacies that remained open over the Christmas bank holiday.
On the same day the company received 2.5m tests from the UK Health Security Agency for distribution after it resumed operations on December 29. “We continue to distribute around 2m lateral flow tests daily,” said Alliance.
The UKHSA said more than 8m test kits were made available to pharmacies between December 29 and New Year’s Eve.
He added ministers are determined to keep schools open after learning a "painful lesson" from earlier closures.
Mr Zahawi also repeated assurances that nothing in recent Covid data suggests new curbs are needed.
He confirmed all secondary pupils in England will be tested before returning this week.
After days of inconsistent supply of rapid tests, ministers assured schools that testing kits will be provided as needed and urged pupils to test twice weekly.
On Sunday, Mr Zahawi announced face coverings will be required during lessons in England's secondary schools until 26 January, when Plan B measures are due to expire.
He explained the move had been recommended by experts after the surge in Omicron cases.
The minister told BBC Radio 4's Today programme the government had conduced a study with 123 schools which suggested mask wearing "made a difference" to transmission.
Mr Zahawi added he did not intend to have pupils wear masks "not for a day longer than necessary" as Covid in the UK hopefully transitions "from pandemic to endemic".
Speaking on BBC Breakfast, he also said: "The painful lesson we learnt was when children weren't in school, the impact on their mental health and, of course their education, was quite substantial.
"Which is why I'm so determined, as is the prime minister, to make sure education remains open and children are in the best place when they're in the classroom, with their friends, learning in front of a teacher."
The new on-site testing rules will be limited to England, where pupils will begin returning to schools for the new term later this week.
Mr Zahawi said the government had set up a "different supply route" for tests to give to school children early in early 2021 than those offered to the general public.
He added the government has been communicating with schools about the testing plans since "late last year" to allow them to prepare.
Staffing fears
Asked about further restrictions, Mr Zahawi said there is "nothing in the data that gives me any concern that we need to go beyond where we are at" - adding existing Plan B curbs would be reviewed on Wednesday.
Fears have been raised in recent days that a wave of illness and isolation among staff caused by the Omicron coronavirus variant could make it "impossible" for schools to deliver face-to-face teaching to all pupils.
In Scotland - where older pupils already wear masks in lessons - and Northern Ireland, students also asked to test twice every week.
In Wales, the government has urged staff and students to test three times per week before the start of the new term.
Health Secretary Sajid Javid said "regular testing is a key way to support schools and protect face-to-face teaching".
Ministers have also urged pupils to come forward for a Covid vaccine, second dose or booster, depending on their age.
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As well as testing, Mr Zahawi promised 7,000 more air-cleaning units on top of the 1,000 already announced, as well as 350,000 CO2 monitors for schools.
The education secretary said he had also asked teachers who had left the profession or retired to come back as temporary support and urged all 12-15 year olds to get both doses of the Covid vaccine and for older children to get their booster jabs.
But Labour's shadow education secretary, Bridget Phillipson, criticised ministers for the slow rollout of jabs to schoolchildren.
She said almost two million students aged 12-17 remain completely unvaccinated and the government had missed "the chance to get ahead of the virus, and is letting down our children".
Cabinet Office minister Steve Barclay said the government believes that significant behaviour changes among members of the public mean further restrictions are not necessary.
"The widespread use of testing is an illustration that the British public are taking sensible steps to keep themselves safe to keep their friends and family safe," Mr Barclay said.
England's current restrictions are due to expire on 26 January, although a review is expected in the next few days.
On Sunday, England and Wales recorded 137,583 daily cases and 73 deaths within 28 days of a positive Covid test. Data for Scotland and Northern Ireland is due to be updated after the bank holiday weekend.
The latest figures for England are down on the 162,572 new cases reported on Saturday, which had been a record number for the fifth day in a row.
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Ministers are "concerned" that the number of over-50s being admitted to hospital with COVID is rising, the education secretary has said.
Despite the increase, Nadhim Zahawi became the second minister in two days to tell Sky News that coronavirusdata does not currently suggest further restrictions are needed in England this week ahead of a review on measures on Wednesday.
The education minister's assurance today, following cabinet minister Stephen Barclay's confidence on Sunday, follows warnings from Chris Hopson, chief executive of NHS Providers, which represents NHS trusts.
Image:Lincolnshire hospitals have declared a major incident over 'significant staffing pressures'
He said all hospitals outside London are now coming under "significant pressure" but those in the capital are seeing a significant drop in admissions.
Mr Zahawi told Sky News that hospital numbers would continue to be monitored: "The numbers of people in hospital with coronavirus have begun to rise in the over-50s, which we are concerned about, but on the whole, actually the number of people in ICU [intensive care] has come down, which is good news."
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He added: "If we see more leakage of infection in the over-50s - because most of the surge in infections from the Omicronvariant has been in the under-50s - then that is more likely that those people end up with severe infection and hospitalisation.
"But the good news is obviously that 90% of those people over 50 have had the booster jab - that is the real protection against severe infection and hospitalisation.
"So, at the moment there's nothing in the data to suggest we need to go further but of course, we will look at the Wednesday review and then beyond that keep monitoring the data very carefully."
Latest data
The latest data publicly available from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), released on 31 December, shows hospital admission rates increased in people aged 75 years and over and those aged 15-24, but decreased or remained similar in all other age groups, in the week up to 19 December.
Data for the public is normally released on Fridays and covers the week beforehand, but Mr Zahawi said he sees the daily figures.
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0:40
'Data doesn't support further restrictions'
The latest ONS COVID infection survey data shows that on 20 December, people over 50 were less likely to test positive for COVID in household settings compared with younger age groups.
It found one in 50 people aged 50 to 69 were testing positive and one in 140 people aged 70 and over were testing positive.
That is compared with one in 20 aged 35 to 49, one in 15 aged 25 to 34, one in 20 from school year seven to age 24, and one in 15 aged two to school year six.
Increasing pressure on all hospitals but slight optimism in London
Chris Hopson, chief executive of NHS Providers, said it is clear hospitals outside London are now experiencing the "significant pressure" those in London have been, with a 10-day lag.
He said the latest daily data shows that over the past seven days there has been a 75% increase in patients with COVID-19 in hospital, with the North East and Yorkshire seeing the largest rise of 119%; the South West has seen the smallest rise, with 37%.
Mr Hopson said London COVID hospital admissions are very important as they indicate how the rest of the country will look.
SUMMARY Rest of country now under pressure. Some trusts declaring critical incidents to manage staff absences. Recent London data, fact that London/NHS currently "coping" & absence of large nos. of seriously ill offer grounds for optimism. But future still uncertain. 25/25
He said the last two days' London admissions data are "more encouraging" as the growth rate has "dropped significantly", with just a 2% rise on 2 January compared with 15% on 28 December.
London hospitals "should be able to cope this week", he said, although "coping under-plays the degree of pressure trusts and their frontline staff are under", with many trusts having to delay planned care cases.
And he warned a "very close eye" will need to be kept on the effect on London from New Year celebrations and schools returning this week.
Omicron has different pattern to Delta
Mr Zahawi added that Omicron is producing a different pattern to Delta in terms of people needing ventilators and time spent in intensive care.
He said: "On the whole, we are not seeing the same pattern as with Delta, where we had much greater numbers of people on ventilators.
"And there seems to be a shorter period of time with people in ICU as well, and those who are being admitted with COVID rather than for COVID is also about a third of that number."
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2:41
How is COVID affecting key services?
The latest data shows a further 137,583 new COVID cases and 73 coronavirus-related deaths were reported in England and Wales yesterday.
That is a drop from the previous day's record number of daily cases at 162,572 in England alone.
Masks will return inside classrooms in England to help reduce the spread of the Omicron variant, ITV News' Romilly Weeks reports
Secondary school students in England will have to wear masks in classrooms once again as the UK faces a surge in Covid-19 cases caused by the highly-transmissible Omicron variant.
The government said the recommendation for secondary schools and colleges will be temporary and will be in force until January 26, when 'Plan B' Covid measures are due to be reviewed.
It added the reintroduction of face masks in classrooms will “maximise the number of children in school” for the “maximum amount of time”.
Headteachers welcomed the move, saying schools and colleges would take it “in their stride”.
Face masks are already recommended in communal areas for older students and staff.
'Where the government is going to have more problems with this is with its own backbenchers', ITV News Political Correspondent Romilly Weeks explains where push-back on face masks in schools could come from
Shadow Health Secretary Wes Streeting said he would rather have masks worn in classrooms than children missing school because of Covid, as it's important that pupils keep learning.
He also spoke to Sky News about the relevance of testing: “I think there are two things, though, that the government can and should be doing. The first is on testing. Pupils should be testing twice a week. There’s lots of evidence to suggest that hasn’t been happening properly.
“So the message for government is get the tests in place, make sure pupils are able to test twice a week.
“And my message to parents and pupils is ‘do take the tests’ because the big challenge this month is going to be keeping pupils learning, avoiding mass absences, and of course making sure that staff are well enough to attend school as well.”
However there have been concerns over the supply of lateral flow tests, prompting calls from a headteachers’ union to ensure the tests are available for schools.
Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders’ union NAHT, said: “The difficulties the public have had in accessing lateral flow tests over the past few weeks has made many people nervous that they will not be available when needed for school staff and pupils.
“If lateral flow tests are to be critical to enabling pupils and staff to return to school quickly then there must be a ready supply available for schools as they go back in January and throughout the term.”
But according to Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), there are currently no concerns over the supply of lateral flow tests to schools.
Students in secondary schools will have to wear face masks when they return on Tuesday. Credit: PA
The government is facing criticism from within its own party on the issue of face masks in schools, as Robert Halfon, chairman of the House of Commons Education Select Committee, told Times Radio he is worried about a possible negative impact of making masks compulsory for children in secondary schools.
The Conservative MP said: “I do worry about the mask policy. The children’s minister came to my committee and said there was very limited evidence as to the efficacy of masks in educational settings.
“Jonathan Van-Tam, hugely respected, the deputy chief medical officer, said that they could be quite inhibitory to the natural expressions of learning in children, the national Children’s Deaf Society has tweeted out their big reservations about mask policy, and what I worry about is the effect that masks have on children’s wellbeing, mental health and anxiety, and we already know that lockdown was a huge spike in children’s mental health problems."
Mr Barton said: “While there are obvious drawbacks to the use of face coverings in classrooms, it is clear that the Omicron variant poses a very significant additional risk to education with the potential for further widespread disruption of schools, colleges, and young people.
“It is absolutely essential that everything possible is done to reduce transmission and ensure that children remain in school, and we therefore support the reintroduction of face coverings in classrooms for students in year 7 and above.
“Face coverings are already advised in communal areas for pupils in year 7 and above.
"Pupils are accustomed to their use and we are sure the reintroduction of face coverings in classrooms is something that schools and colleges will take in their stride.”
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Extra 7,000 air purifiers for classrooms
The government will also be providing an extra 7,000 air purifiers to schools, colleges and early years settings to improve ventilation in classrooms.
The Department for Education said these will be used in areas where “quick fixes to improve ventilation are not possible” – for example, where windows cannot be opened.
But Mr Streeting told Sky News that the number of purifiers is “nowhere near” far enough.
He said: "I’m not clear from what the government said whether this is one system per school, or one air purifier per school – because obviously (there’s) a big difference between the two.
“And again, I’m afraid it looks a little bit like a rushed last-minute announcement to give the appearance of doing something on a big issue where they should have taken action a lot sooner."
Mr Barton said his union had been calling for additional air cleaning units “for some time” and that they should have come “earlier”.
But he said the move was “better late than never”.
He said: “We await further details about the eligibility criteria for these devices and we urge the government to make sure this scheme is as accessible as possible."
But Dr Mary Bousted, joint general secretary of the NEU teaching union, said the 7,000 air purifiers is "completely inadequate for what should be a basic human right".
She said: “The fact that the government have provided the extra purifiers shows that it recognises the problem but with over 300,000 classrooms in England they have failed to provide an effective solution.”
Staff absences due to Covid
But Mr Barton, head of the school leaders' union, warned the spring term will be "extremely challenging", with the biggest problem schools face being staff absences due to Covid.
He said: "While schools and colleges will do their very best to minimise the impact on pupils, as they always do, there is a possibility that this will mean that some classes and year groups have to be sent home for short periods of time to learn remotely.”
Six trade unions representing education staff have urged the government to better support the costs of supply staff to cover for Covid-related absences.
Children wearing facemasks during a lesson at Hounslow Kingsley Academy in West London. Credit: Kirsty O'Connor/PA
Ofsted inspections
Ofsted has already told secondary schools that there will be no inspections in the first week of term as schools carry out on-site testing.
But after the first week, schools, colleges and early years settings that are “significantly impacted by Covid-related staff absence” will have to ask for their inspection to be deferred, the government said on Sunday.
And inspectors who are also school, college or early years leaders will not be asked to carry out their Ofsted duties for the time being.
Dr Bousted called for all Ofsted inspections to be suspended, with the exceptions being for those to do with safeguarding fears.
She said: “It is hard to see how Ofsted will function without the services of serving headteachers.
“Rather than limping along, Ofsted should suspend all inspections other than safeguarding concerns.
“Given the current sky-high rates of infection, every school will be significantly affected by Covid.
"The focus should be on the essential aim of providing education continuity for as many pupils as possible, not on jumping through Ofsted hoops.”
Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi said: “Being in the classroom is undoubtedly the very best place for children and I’m looking forward to welcoming pupils back next week to continue their face-to-face learning, which is so important for their education and wellbeing.
“There is no doubt that the Omicron variant presents challenges, but the entire education sector has responded with a Herculean effort, and for that I thank each and every one of you.
“The Prime Minister and I have been clear that education is our number one priority. These measures will bolster our support for schools as we do everything in our power to minimise disruption.”
A record high of 162,572 new Covid cases has been reported in England and Wales today, along with a further 154 coronavirus-related deaths in the latest 24-hour period, according to official data.
A total of 13 of today's reported deaths were people in London.
Amongst the 868 patients requiring ventilation beds in the UK, 230 (30 per cent) are in the capital.
The latest data only includes England and Wales as Scotland and Northern Ireland will not release their figures until after the holiday period.
This is the 12 day in a row that cases have been above the 100,000 mark in the UK as the country moves out of the festive season.
Some of the patients will be in hospital due to Covid-19 symptoms and others will have tested positive on admission for another condition.
Either reason still has a knock-on effect in terms of staff and resources, a London doctor told MyLondon.
Dr Lee, who works in a West London ICU said: "Even if infected people are admitted for other reasons, like you break your leg, for example. The very fact that they have Covid means it takes up more resources as you have to isolate them, monitor them more closely.
"These are all resources that could go on something else. Vaccination doesn't just protect you but frees up capacity for everybody else."
It comes as official figures revealed nearly one in 10 NHS workers were off sick over New Year's Eve as coronavirus continues to hit the health service.
More than 110,000 of the NHS's 983,000 staff in England missed the turn of the year due to illness.
The chief executive of NHS Providers Chris Hopson said 'the next few days are crucial' and the health service was under 'arguably more pressure' than this time last year.
Minister will be closely analysing the hospitalisation data over the next few days to determine if further measures are needed.
A number of " nightingale hubs " are being set up across England, including one in St. George's Hospital in Tooting to deal with a potential new wave of Covid hospital admissions as cases remain high.
The full list of 33 boroughs, from lowest to highest rate of cases per 100,00 of the population. The number of cases are over the most recent 7-day period:
Havering 5,237 (2,009.20 per 100k)
Bexley 4,966 (1,992 per 100k)
Croydon 7,685 (1,977.80 per 100k)
Sutton 4,079 (1,963.80 per 100k)
Lewisham 5,969(1,955.10 per 100k)
Bromley 6,380 (1,917.30 per 100k)
Merton 3,933 (1,905 per 100k)
Barking and Dagenham 4,066 (1,899.10 per 100k)
Lambeth 6,075 (1,887.70 per 100k)
Greenwich 5,446 (1,884.20 per 100k)
Southwark 5,940 (1,856.20 per 100k)
Haringey 4,684 (1,758.50 per 100k)
Brent 5,744 (1,752.50 per 100k)
Waltham Forest 4,834 (1,745.50 per 100k)
Wandsworth 5,748 (1,743.20 per 100k)
Hammersmith and Fulham 3,194 (1,740.20 per 100k)
Redbridge 5,257 (1,719.90 per 100k)
Ealing 5,711 (1,678 per 100k)
Hounslow 4,538 (1,669.80 per 100k)
Enfield 5,487 (1,644.80 per 100k)
Harrow 4,148 (1,643.80 per 100k)
Kingston upon Thames 2,913 (1,626.10 per 100k)
Newham 5,752 (1,619.10 per 100k)
Hillingdon 4,916 (1,590.90 per 100k)
Islington 3,924(1,581.50 per 100k)
Barnet 6,241 (1,564.10 per 100k)
Richmond upon Thames 3,088 (1,558.50 per 100k)
Hackney and City of London 4,504 (1,543.10 per 100k)
Tower Hamlets 5,109 (1,539 per 100k)
Kensington and Chelsea 2,171 (1,384 per 100k)
Westminster 3,542 (1,312.60 per 100k)
Camden 3,603 (1,289 per 100k)
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