Making Decision to limit the Christmas celebration in large gathering
On Monday, 12 people in Britain have died with the new Omicron variant, Britain's Deputy PM Dominic Raab said, refusing to rule out a tightening of social restrictions before Christmas eve.
Britain has reported a large number of COVID-19 cases, with officials warning that the full effects of the latest wave are still yet to be seen.
Omicron, first case was detected last month in southern Africa and Hong Kong, has been reported in at least 89 countries so far. It is known to be very transmissible, but the severity of illness it causes remains unclear till now.
In addition to the 12 deaths, Raab said 104 people were currently in hospital with Omicron. last week, Officials warned that hospitalisations could hit new cases as the effects of the latest surge work.
Government is making decision to limit people on Christmas which would come at a high political cost for Prime Minister Boris Johnson, whose authority has been already questions over whether he and his staff broke lockdown rules last year.
To pass the new rules, which included ordering people to wear masks in public places, Johnson had to rely on the support of the main opposition Labour Party.
The Brief. Sign up to receive the top stories you need to know right now.