BRITS have proudly shown off their vaccine passports as they glammed up for a night on the town on the first day of fresh Covid restrictions.
Double-jabbed revellers donning festive gear decided to tear up nightclub dance floors and booze in pubs despite fears over the Omicron variant.
Vaccine passports are needed from today for over-18s at larger venues as cases of the mutant strain surge.
Despite this, hundreds of partiers hit high streets up and down the country tonight for some festive fun as they willingly showed bouncers their Covid passports.
Cheery revellers were snapped beaming in Newcastle, London and beyond- with many opting to rock Christmas-inspired outfits.
People in England will need to show their Covid status to get into nightclubs, indoor unseated venues with more than 500 people, unseated outdoor venues with more than 4,000 people, and any venue with more than 10,000 people.
Punters will need to prove they are fully vaccinated – currently two doses – using the NHS Covid Pass or provide proof of a negative test result in the past 48 hours.
It means those who have not yet been jabbed cannot go clubbing or enjoy a drink in a busy bar unless they take a lateral flow or PCR test and report the result on the NHS website, have had a positive test in the past six months and have finished self-isolating, or have an exemption.
Other Plan B Covid restrictions came into force across the country, including face masks on public transport and work from home guidance.
But while Covid passports only require two jabs right now, Brits will need three doses to use vaccine passports for entry to nightclubs and football matches from as early as February.
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Health secretary Sajid Javid earlier this week announced ministers will update the definition of fully vaccinated to include the third jab.
He said this will be done “once all adults have had a reasonable chance” to get the top-up shot.
Data shows boosters offer up to 75 per cent protection from mild infection from Omicron, with Trending In The News relaunching our hugely successful Jabs Army campaign.
Meanwhile, bosses of pubs and restaurants are worried about once again shutting and having their business decimated in the peak Christmas trading season.
Even without restrictions, hospitality chiefs say the Omicron fear factor is taking a sledge-hammer to profits, with celebrity chef Tom Kerridge warning many venues will “crumble”.
It comes after Boris Johnson tonight drastically ramped up his plea for Brits to get boosters and issued a call to arms for vaccine volunteers to help beat Omicron.
On the worst day of infections so far, the PM said there were “signs of hope” that the renewed jab blitz was helping the national battle against Covid.
He said a knockout combination of Plan B measures and boosters would help curb the virus – but braced the public for more cases, hospitalisations and deaths.
Flanked by top docs Chris Whitty and Nikki Kanani, the PM said: “I think this is the the right approach. It’s a double strategy, it’s a left and a right.”
But Prof Whitty also warned people to go further than current restrictions by prioritising social gatherings that really mattered, “usually that is family”.
He even urged friends to meet outside if possible ahead of the Christmas period.
‘NATIONAL EFFORT’
Huge queues formed once again at vaccination centres today as all over-18s also became eligible to book their third jab online.
The PM told the nation: “Since we launched our emergency Omicron appeal on Sunday night a great national fight back has begun.
“People have responded with an amazing spirit of duty and obligation to others and I want to say that each and every one of you who rolls up your sleeve to get jabbed is helping this national effort.”
And he said we have delivered twice as many boosters as the EU and the US.
Mr Johnson once more banged the drum for the booster drive and praised volunteers like those signing up to Trending In The News’s Jabs Army.
Urging more recruits to join the ranks of the “emerging Territorial Army of the NHS”, he said: “Do something this Christmas that you can tell your grandchildren about.”
Omicron is now doubling at a rate of less than two days amid grim fears more than 1million people a day could soon be infected.
