What time is Boris Johnson's Covid press conference today?

4 January 2022, 13:44 | Updated: 4 January 2022, 13:46

Boris Johnson confirms no new restrictions before Christmas

By Naomi Bartram

@naomibartram

When is Boris Johnson’s next announcement and will there be an update on Covid rules?

England’s Plan B Covid restrictions are being reviewed today, three weeks after they were announced.

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have all tightened their social distancing measures in response to the Omicron variant.

However, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has not announced any new rules, telling people in England to celebrate New Year’s Eve in a ‘cautious and sensible way’.

So, when is Boris Johnson’s next announcement and what will he say?

• Gino D’Acampo’s restaurant chain goes into liquidation with £5million debts
• What is Covid 'Plan B' and what are the rules?

What time is Boris Johnson's press conference today?

Boris Johnson is set to hold a Covid press conference from Downing Street at 5.00pm on Tuesday 4 January.

This can be watched on Sky News or BBC One, as well as being available online through BBC iPlayer and the Sky News live YouTube stream.

Will Boris Johnson implement new Covid rules in England today?

It is not clear what Boris Johnson will announce at his press conference today.

There will be a Cabinet meeting to discuss the Omicron variant, with any suggested new measures raised in Parliament on Wednesday.

However, the PM's spokesman has hinted today that no new restrictions will be brought in.

Downing Street said that while the NHS faces a ‘difficult time’, the current coronavirus restrictions in England are ‘the right course’ of action.

The representative said: “At the moment we don’t see any data to suggest that further restrictions would be the right approach, given we know it is important to strike the right balance between protecting lives and livelihoods.

“There are significant mitigations in place for our NHS to help them in what’s going to be a very challenging winter.”

Boris Johnson outlines Plan B coronavirus measures

They added: “We believe this is the right course, asking people to work from home, the use of the Covid pass and of course, most importantly, the booster programme.”

While many scientists have been calling for tougher restrictions in England to control the spread of Covid, some UK businesses have been calling for a shorter Covid self-isolation period.

The Federation of Small Businesses said the government’s chief medical adviser, Sir Chris Whitty, and chief scientific adviser, Sir Patrick Vallance, should review the case for a five-day self-isolation as recently recommended by US authorities.

Last month, the quarantine period was cut after a positive Covid-19 test for double- and triple-vaccinated people in England from 10 to seven days, to try to ease staff pressures for the NHS and businesses.