Daily COVID infections in the UK are on the rise with the spread of Omicron

Britain reported a record 129,471 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, a day after Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he would not bring in new restrictions this year to limit the spread of the highly transmissible Omicron variant of the virus.

 

Johnson said on Monday he would not introduce new restrictions in England, but his ministers have urged people to celebrate the New Year cautiously and warned that the rules could be tightened if the health system was at risk of failure.

 

Devolved authorities for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have already tightened their rules, as have other European countries facing a surge in Omicron cases.

 

British ministers are waiting for more evidence on how the health service is able to cope with high infection rates after early data suggested last week that the Omicron variant carried a lower risk of hospital admission.