Boris Johnson has ruled out immediately reimposing lockdown but said new measures could still be enforced soon.
The prime minister said the situation was ‘extremely difficult’ and that hospitalisations were rising steeply in London.
Mr Johnson gathered the cabinet for an unscheduled meeting today to review the latest Covid-19 data.
Some experts want the PM to act now to prevent the NHS being overwhelmed but there is resistance within his own top team.
Speaking after meeting, he said: ‘We will have to reserve the possibility of taking further action to protect the public, and to protect public health and the NHS, and we won’t hesitate to take that action.’
He said the data is being kept under ‘constant review…hour by hour’ and that the government ‘won’t hesitate to take action’.
The PM called on people to exercise caution and get vaccinated in the wake of the ongoing winter wave, telling the public ‘it could not be more urgent’.
He said the cabinet had discussed options for a ‘couple of hours’ and that ‘the arguments either way are very, very finely balanced’.
Chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance and England’s chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty presented the latest data to the cabinet.
But with scientists still racing to understand the Omicron variant, particularly how severe it is and what effect vaccines have on it, Mr Johnson said there are ‘still some things we need to be clearer about’ before anything is decided on.
Asked what kind of measures the government could take, the PM said: ‘We’re looking at all kinds of things… we will rule nothing out.’
Mr Johnson’s decision to rule out immediate new restrictions comes after another 91,743 Covid-19 infections were confirmed in the last 24 hours.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said there had been 8,044 additional confirmed cases of the Omicron variant, bringing the total to 45,145.
Another 44 people have died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19.
There had been speculation new measures could be signed off at today’s cabinet meeting after Sajid Javid refused to rule out action before Christmas during an appearance on the BBC yesterday.
Mr Johnson’s cabinet is thought to be split over whether to reimpose new measures, with at least one reportedly willing to resign.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak is reportedly resistant over concerns about the effect it would have on the economy.
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