Prime Minister Boris Johnson has now confirmed the government will not introduce any further Covid-19 restrictions in England before Christmas.
Mr Johnson made the announcement in a video which was uploaded on social media.
In the video, Boris Johnson says “people can go ahead with their Christmas plans” but also urged people to be cautious, suggesting testing for Covid before meeting elderly relatives.
He also said the government “can’t rule out” any further restrictions after Christmas.
“What I can say tonight is that naturally we can’t rule out any further measures after Christmas, and we’re going to keep a constant eye on the data – we will do whatever it takes to protect public health,” Mr Johnson said.
“But, in view of the continuing uncertainty about several things – the severity of Omicron, uncertainty about the hospitalisation rates or the impact of the vaccine rollout and the boosters – we don’t think today that there is enough evidence to justify any tougher measures before Christmas.
“We continue to monitor Omicron very closely and if the situation deteriorates we will be ready to take action if needed.”
The PM’s announcement comes amid growing concerns about the Omicron variant in England.
The government recently moved into its Plan B for tackling coronavirus – which made face masks compulsory in most public indoor venues and Covid Passes mandatory in specific settings – but many scientists said these restrictions don’t go far enough to curb the spread of the Omicron variant.
In recent days rumours began to circulate regarding new measures before Christmas but the PM’s video today confirms no further action will be taken just yet.