More on Plan B

10 December 2021

It’s said that a week is a long time in politics. So maybe it’s also the case that a day is a long time in the Covid-19 pandemic, because yesterday’s post on the new Plan B restrictions for England measures already needs following up, so as to maintain the blog’s aim to provide a record of these unprecedented times. 

Reflecting the speed at which the new Omicron coronavirus variant is spreading, Public Health Scotland is urging people north of the Border to cancel work Christmas parties. 

The organisation says that by reducing social contacts the spread can be minimised. 

In a briefing this afternoon, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said that Scotland faced a potential "tsunami" of infections, which broadly reflected data throughout the UK. Omicron, she stated, is showing the fastest exponential growth yet seen in the pandemic so far, with case numbers doubling in two days. 

Many hospitality and venue managers are concerned that this will drastically affect their income at one of their traditionally busiest times of year – which was effectively cancelled in 2020 because of lockdown restrictions. 

The first minister added that further measures might be necessary in the near future. 

Throughout the pandemic, the devolved nations and Ireland have invariably acted more swiftly and more strongly than England in introducing Covid restrictions. So will England follow in discouraging Christmas parties? 

The Plan B regulations are set to expire on 23 January, six weeks after implementation, with a review after three weeks. Hopefully the actions taken will restrict the Omicron’s spread sufficiently to avoid further measures. 

And ultimately what yesterday’s post said still holds. Christmas parties notwithstanding, the tool and equipment hire industry should be able to keep trading virtually unaffected while complying with Plan B. 

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