Masks made mandatory in shops and on buses and trains. New arrivals must take PCR tests
Boris Johnson has expressed “absolute confidence” that people would enjoy a better Christmas this year than last, despite re-imposing a range of restrictions – including compulsory mask-wearing – to combat the new highly transmissible Omicron variant of Covid-19.
The prime minister attempted to calm fears about the prospects of another imminent lockdown on Saturday, hours after the first two cases of the new variant were reported in the UK, in Nottingham and Essex.