Boris Johnson will hold a cabinet meeting on Monday at 2pm, as the government refused to rule out imposing stricter Covid rules before Christmas.
The Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) has advised ministers that if they want to prevent hospitals being overwhelmed then “more stringent measures would need to be implemented very soon”.
On Monday morning Dominic Raab said he could not give any “hard, fast guarantees” that England would not be placed into lockdown this week, amid the spread of the Omicron variant.
The prime minister’s spokesperson said: “I appreciate there’s a great deal of speculation over the weekend, and indeed today, about what, if any, further measures may be required.
“At this point, we’re still monitoring the data and keeping a very close eye on it, as the deputy prime minister said this morning. We’d update if any further decisions are taken.”
According to The Daily Telegraph, Johnson has been presented with three options to tackle the resurgence of virus.
The paper reported that they range from guidance asking people to limit indoor contacts, to rules on household mixing, social distancing and a curfew on pubs and restaurants and, thirdly, a full lockdown.
But according to The Times, ten ministers have pushed back against calls from Sage for tighter rules.
Confirmed cases of Omicron have risen by more than 12,000 in the UK – and London’s cases alone topped 10,000, according to the latest data.