UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has imposed tougher COVID-19 restrictions in England, ordering people to work from home, wear masks in public places and use vaccine passes in a bid to slow the spread of the Omicron variant.
Undermined by accusations that his staff partied at Downing Street during a Christmas lockdown last year, Mr Johnson said Omicron was spreading rapidly and he had no choice but to move to "Plan B" to buy time and get more booster shots into arms.
While still a long way from the full lockdowns that hammered the economy earlier in the pandemic, the new measures could cut visitors to restaurants, cafes and shops in city centres in the run-up to Christmas and deal a fresh blow to the country's finances.
"While the picture may get better, and I sincerely hope that it will, we know that the remorseless logic of exponential growth could lead to a big rise in hospitalisations and therefore, sadly, in deaths," Mr Johnson told a news conference.
The move comes as an adviser to UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Allegra Stratton, quit after a video surfaced of her laughing and joking about a party in Downing Street during a Christmas COVID-19 lockdown last year when such festivities were banned.
Ms Stratton, who was most recently Johnson's COP26 spokeswoman, was his press secretary at the time the video was recorded in December 2020.
In the video aired by ITV, Ms Stratton was shown at a rehearsal for a daily briefing laughing and joking about a reported gathering at a time when tens of millions of people across the UK were banned from meeting family and friends to celebrate Christmas, or even from bidding farewell to dying relatives.
"My remarks seemed to make light of the rules, rules that people were doing everything to obey. That was never my intention. I will regret those remarks for the rest of my days," a tearful Ms Stratton told reporters outside her home.
"I understand the anger and frustration that people feel. To all of you who lost loved ones, who endured intolerable loneliness and who struggled with your businesses - I am truly sorry and this afternoon I am offering my resignation to the prime minister."
Allegra Stratton, an adviser to UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, has quit. Source: AAP
Mr Johnson earlier on Wednesday apologised after the video of his staff surfaced.
He said he had been furious to see the clip and that, since allegations emerged in the media, he had been repeatedly assured that there had not been a party.
"I apologise unreservedly for the offence that it has caused up and down the country and I apologise for the impression that it gives," he told parliament, adding that there would be disciplinary action if it was found rules were broken.
Mr Johnson and his ministers have repeatedly denied any rules were broken by the gatherings in late 2020 although The Mirror newspaper said Mr Johnson spoke at a leaving party and that his team had a wine-fuelled gathering of about 40 to 50 people.
Mr Johnson, who lifted most COVID-19 restrictions in England in July, had vowed to navigate the northern hemisphere winter without resorting to a fourth COVID-19 lockdown but had kept a so-called Plan B in reserve.
Part of those measures, such as reintroducing masks on public transport and in shops, had already been brought in, but on Wednesday Mr Johnson said people should also now work from home if they can.
Face masks will be required in public venues and a COVID-19 pass will be mandatory to access nightclubs and places with large crowds.
Christmas parties are allowed and seasonal children's nativity plays should not be cancelled, Mr Johnson said.
"We think that it's okay - currently on what we can see - to keep going with Christmas parties but obviously everybody should exercise due caution," he said, adding that ventilation, hand-washing and getting tested were sensible things to do.
The UK has recorded more than 145,000 COVID-19 deaths during the pandemic.
The emergency of the Omicron variant has put governments on edge around the world.
The UK has registered 568 confirmed cases of Omicron so far.
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland set their own COVID-19 restrictions and had already set tougher rules.
