Booster campaign to be put 'on steroids' - government

As we near the end of our coverage, here's a quick reminder of today's main headlines:

• Booster jabs will be offered to everyone in England who is eligible by the end of January
• Jabs will be prioritised according to age, with the NHS working down the list in five-year bands, and temporary vaccination centres will be "popping up like Christmas trees", says Boris Johnson
• People should not cancel Christmas parties and nativity plays - and another lockdown is "extremely unlikely", the PM adds
• Getting vaccinated would give us "the best chance of a Christmas with our loved ones", says health secretary
• 22 cases of Omicron have so far been confirmed in the UK - 13 in England and nine in Scotland, all of those linked to a single event 10 days ago

• Face masks are compulsory again in shops and on public transport in England. MPs overwhelmingly endorsed the new regulations, with 434 voting in favour and 23 against

• Stock markets around the world fell after the boss of Moderna cast doubts on the effectiveness of vaccines against Omicron
• Omicron was present in Europe earlier than previously thought with a case identified in the Netherlands on 19 November, officials say
• In its latest travel advisory, the WHO says people who are unwell or at risk of developing severe Covid-19 and dying - including people aged 60 or older or those with comorbidities (eg heart disease, cancer and diabetes) - should postpone travel

Andrés SanzCopyright: Andrés Sanz

A couple who were moved into forced isolation in a Dutch hospital after they walked out of a Covid-19 hotel have been told they can now leave.

Carolina Pimenta tested positive for Covid-19 after landing at Amsterdam's Schiphol airport on a flight from South Africa on Friday.

She was arrested by military police on Sunday night on a plane about to take off for Spain. The couple have now been told prosecutors have decided not to pursue the case.

Read the full story of what happened to them here.

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Some supermarkets in England say they won't be enforcing new face mask rules, instead they'll use a lighter touch.

Iceland tells the BBC its staff will not ask customers to wear masks so they don't have to face abuse.

Tesco, the largest UK supermarket chain, will just be putting up signs to remind customers about face mask rules, the BBC understands.

Aldi and Lidl are also understood to have no plans to challenge customers.

Sainsbury's says it will have "greeters and security guards at the front of our supermarkets" to remind people to wear masks.

Morrisons is expected to have staff checking mask wearing at the front of the shops, and will hand out masks to customers that have forgotten them.

Asda also says it will hand out masks to shoppers who are without one.

You can read more here.

ReutersCopyright: Reuters

As we reported earlier, Greece is making vaccines mandatory for anyone aged 60 and over from next year, and those who do not comply will face a €100 (£85) fine each month until they do so.

PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis said it was predominantly those over 60 who died of Covid, and that only 60,000 of the more than 500,000 unvaccinated citizens in that age group had got their first jab this month.

"I have no doubt that this political decision will save human lives. Because vaccination becomes more than just compulsory. It saves lives. It is necessary for health. It is necessary for the whole society.

"The funds collected by the fines will be given to our hospitals. It is not a punishment. I would say it is a health fee. An incentive for precaution, a life boost.

Quote Message: And I think it is also an act of justice for the people who are vaccinated. It is not acceptable for some people to be deprived of the health services they need because others stubbornly refuse to do the obvious from Kyriakos Mitsotakis Greek Prime Minister

And I think it is also an act of justice for the people who are vaccinated. It is not acceptable for some people to be deprived of the health services they need because others stubbornly refuse to do the obvious

He also added he had been “tortured” by the decision, but that he felt “a heavy responsibility” towards the most vulnerable, “even if it might fleetingly displease them”.

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Turning to developments outside of the UK now, the Irish government will require all international travellers to provide proof of a negative Covid-19 test prior to their arrival in the country, regardless of their vaccination status.

The country's Housing Minister, Darragh O'Brien, told reporters passengers will be required to have taken a lab-conducted antigen test no more than 48 hours before travelling or a PCR test within 72 hours of arrival. O'Brien said restrictions will initially apply for a two-week period.

The rules will apply to travellers arriving from Great Britain, but not to those crossing the border with Northern Ireland.

Ireland's Department of Transport is in discussions with airlines and ferry companies to ensure the tests are checked before people board flights or ferries to the country.

The move follows the UK government's decision to exclude Ireland and other Common Travel Area countries from similar rules it implemented for international arrivals on Saturday.

Ireland is currently examining 11 suspected cases of the Omicron variant. Health Minister Stephen Donnelly said it is likely the new variant is already present in the country.

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In Northern Ireland, Covid-19 vaccination hubs have opened to help meet demand for booster doses, the health minister says.

Robin Swann says the aim is to "bring booster doses to all eligible age groups as quickly as possible".

Northern Ireland has had the lowest uptake of the booster shot in the UK.

Swann is urging the public not to "be put off getting their first, second or booster doses due to concerns or speculation about the Omicron variant".

After the UK government's latest update on coronavirus and booster jabs, BBC health correspondent Philippa Roxby and political correspondent Ione Wells answer your questions.

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The UK's Covid booster vaccine programme is being expanded amid concerns about the new Omicron variant.

The government has set a target to offer all eligible adults in England the chance to book a booster by the end of January.

A second vaccine dose will be offered to children aged 12-15.

When can I get my booster?

When you are contacted will depend on your age and whether you are in an at-risk group.

Vulnerable people will be contacted first, then over-40s and older people, then younger age groups.

However, people are being asked not to contact the NHS about their booster jab, and wait to be invited.

Across England, jabs will be rolled out at 1,500 community pharmacies, extra hospital hubs and pop-up vaccination sites.

Scotland and Wales have yet to finalise details of how boosters will be given out.

Northern Ireland has announced extra vaccination clinics to meet demand.

Read more here.

As we’ve been reporting, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is trying to establish where exactly in the UK the Omicron variant is.

It's confirmed 22 cases have been detected, but as we've been reporting, the variant is likely to be transmitting in the community, so that number will grow.

Earlier, we told you the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) said that two cases had been detected in Nottingham. However, it has since clarified that the city has only one case on record – a student, who has been self-isolating since they were infected.

Here's a breakdown of cases in England confirmed by the UKHSA:

• London borough of Barnet – 2
• Brentwood, Essex – 1
• London borough of Camden – 2
• London borough of Haringey – 1
• Liverpool – 1
• North Norfolk – 1
• Nottingham – 1
• London borough of Sutton – 1
• London borough of Wandsworth – 1
• London borough of Westminster – 2

And as we’ve also reported, there are 9 cases in Scotland. Five are in Lanarkshire and four are in the Greater Glasgow and Clyde health board area.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson says the government's target is for all adults to be offered a Covid booster by the end of January, with temporary vaccination centres to be opened up, as at other stages of the vaccine roll-out.

ReutersCopyright: Reuters

The Downing Street coronavirus briefing led by Prime Minister Boris Johnson has just wrapped up.

He was joined by Health Secretary Sajid Javid and Amanda Pritchard, the chief executive of NHS England.

In case you missed it, here's a quick round-up of what we learned:

• The PM revealed a target to offer all over-18s a booster jab by the end of January
• As with first vaccine doses, the NHS will administer boosters in priority order - starting with the medically vulnerable, over-40s and older people before getting to younger age groups
• While changes to booking system are put in place, the public are urged not to contact the NHS about their booster jab, and wait to be invited

• In England, booster jabs will be rolled out at 1,500 community pharmacies, extra hospital hubs and pop-up vaccination sites, with around 400 military personnel providing assistance alongside volunteer vaccinators
• Javid urged everyone to accept a booster when offered "to give ourselves the best chance of a Christmas with our loved ones"
• The PM disagreed with Dr Jenny Harries, the head of the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), who suggested earlier that people should reduce social contacts in the run up to Christmas
• He said that people didn't need to cancel Christmas parties or school Nativity plays, and insisted that it was not yet necessary to advise people to work from home
• Javid accepted it was likely the new variant was spreading in the community (at present, 22 cases have been confirmed)

The advice from the prime minister was clear - don’t cancel your Christmas plans, and do get your booster.

He defended the government’s reluctance to move to Plan B - which would involve advising people in England to work from home if they can (as they are advised to do in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland).

The leader of the lockdown-resistant Covid Recovery Group of Conservative MPs – the former chief whip Mark Harper – says he gives the government "credit" for this.

But note, Boris Johnson refused to rule this out completely.

The best he could promise, choosing his words carefully, was this: "The kind of lockdown we had before is extremely unlikely."

It would seem that further restrictions will be dependent more on the progress of the pandemic than on politics.

The UK has bought hundreds of thousands of doses of a powerful antiviral drug that can treat Covid.

The treatment, molnupiravir, could help those who are most at risk of getting severely ill if they catch the virus.

In trials, the twice daily pills cut the risk of hospitalisation or death by about half.

The therapy works in a different way to current vaccines and should be very effective even against new variants, such as Omicron.

MERCKCopyright: MERCK

A question now from Bloomberg on working from home - and why England is out of kilter with Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Boris Johnson says this is not something the government thinks is necessary - it has a package of measures to deal with the Delta variant and they've been working.

He says the reason for not implementing Plan B - a contingency to protect the NHS which includes guidance to work from home - is in order to take an approach that is "proportionate and balanced".

He will change things as necessary, but is looking for reassurance that vaccines are effective against Omicron.

And the PM ends the briefing with a mention of Storm Arwen, saying how sympathetic he is to people in the million or so homes that have lost electricity - and assuring those still without power that the government is doing what it can to restore it.

Next, the PM is asked if he can reassure businesses that are worried about another so-called "pingdemic".

Jasmine Cameron-Chileshe, from the Financial Times, says the government has ruled out a "Plan B" to tackle Covid, but can the PM confirm contingency measures like working from home won't be taken if there's a surge?

Johnson says he does not think a return to the "pingdemic" of July is likely to happen (where people were alerted to contact with Covid cases) because the numbers of cases of Omicron are small.

But that will have to stay under review.

"We haven't ruled out anything, I think another lockdown of the kind we've had before is extremely unlikely but we keep everything under constant review," he says.

On local lockdown measures he says: "We've settled pretty much on the view that moving together is the way to do it."

Is there community transmission of the new Omicron variant in the UK, the Daily Mail's Jason Groves asks Health Secretary Sajid Javid.

Javid replies that they are "not able to say" at the moment, but it's likely.

Boris Johnson is asked whether he would encourage people who are already scrapping school Nativity plays and Christmas parties in response to the government's new rules to "think again".

"We don't want people to cancel such events," the prime minister replies - and the "best place" for children to be is in school.