UK health secretary Sajid Javid has warned if not enough people get vaccinated, it is more likely restrictions will be reintroduced in England.
Javid said the government would not be bringing in its Plan B measures, including mandatory face masks and working from home, “at this point”.
He added that he did not believe the current pressures on the NHS were unsustainable but warned that covid cases could rise to 100,000 a day.
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The BBC reports: NHS leaders have said some restrictions must immediately be reintroduced if England is to avoid “stumbling into a winter crisis”.
Under the government’s plan for tackling Covid in England over the winter, restrictions will only be reintroduced if the NHS comes under “unsustainable pressure”.
Plan B also includes introducing mandatory Covid passports.
Mr Javid told a Downing Street news conference: “If not enough people get their booster jabs, if not enough of those people that were eligible for the original offer… if they don’t come forward, if people don’t wear masks when they really should in a really crowded place with lots of people that they don’t normally hang out with, if they’re not washing their hands and stuff, it’s going to hit us all.
“And it would of course make it more likely we’re going to have more restrictions.”
However, No 10 earlier said there were no plans for another lockdown in England.
Asked about the pressures on the NHS, Mr Javid said: “Don’t get me wrong, there are huge pressures, especially in A&E, in primary care. At this point we don’t believe they’re unsustainable.”
“If we feel at any point it’s becoming unsustainable… we won’t hesitate to act,” he added.
Niamh Harris