As coronavirus outbreaks continue to ‘go crazy’ in Europe, new restrictions are being introduced in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to curb wider spreads.
The latest data on Friday reported cases of Covid-19 infection in the UK had soared by 122,186 cases. However, no data was released on Saturday and Sunday following the Christmas and Boxing Day celebrations.
Following that, the three countries announced restrictions on the hospitality and leisure industries, continued social imprisonment rules and put limits on gatherings.
Meanwhile in England, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has yet to announce further sanctions but has not hesitated to act if necessary.
Although England is the only one of four countries in the UK not to tighten sanctions after Christmas Day, it has the highest infection rate.
According to a survey from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) which uses its weekly randomized testing program, around 1.74 million people or one in 35, have been infected with the coronavirus in the past seven days in the UK.
This increase is largely believed to be influenced by the fast -spreading Omicron variant, although according to a preliminary study by the UK Health Agency found it was less likely to cause serious illness than Delta.
Meanwhile, the UK government continued its strategy of encouraging the uptake of booster vaccines to protect against Omicron variants, sending millions of messages on Boxing Day urging the public to get booster shots as soon as possible.
