NEW Year’s Eve revellers breathed a sigh of relief last night after Boris Johnson ruled out a lockdown in England this week.
He urged partygoers to take care, but defied demands for curbs after data showed Omicron has not overwhelmed hospitals.
Hospitality chief Kate Nicholls said: “This is great news.”
There was anger in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, where restrictions remain.
Defying Sage doomsters and fellow gloomsters, the PM decided against imposing any further curbs this year.
Mr Johnson acted after new health data showed the number of people going into hospital with Covid actually fell before Christmas.
Last night, he tweeted: “We will continue to monitor the data carefully, but there will be no new restrictions introduced in England before the New Year.
“However, I would urge everyone to continue to act cautiously given the rising number of Omicron cases.
“Most importantly I urge everyone to get their first, second or booster jab without delay to protect yourselves and your loved ones.”
As partygoers in England looked forward to New Year’s Eve celebrations there was fury in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland where clubs are closed and pubs face restrictions.
Scottish bar bosses urged First Minister Nicola Sturgeon to “do a Boris” and reverse her decision to cancel Hogmanay celebrations.
If she doesn’t a “Scots Invasion” of revellers will cross the border to ring in 2022 in Newcastle and Manchester, they predicted.
Meanwhile, Welsh partygoers are expected to descend on Bristol if Wales’ Labour leader Mark Drakeford refuses to make a U-turn on strict curbs.
The new health data for England revealed that:
- A THIRD of patients who have Covid in hospital are actually being treated for something else;
- THE number going to hospital with the virus fell before Christmas — with 1,020 admitted on Christmas Eve compared to 1,252 the day before;
- A TOTAL of 143 people died of Covid on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and yesterday combined – an average of 48 per day. That compares with Christmas Eve, when 137 deaths were recorded across the UK in a single day;
- THE country recorded its highest daily total of Covid cases on Christmas Day, with 113,628. However, that fell to 108,893 on Boxing Day and to 98,515 yesterday.
Delighted pub chiefs praised Mr Johnson for saving New Year’s Eve – their busiest night of the year.
Linda Thompson, 68, licensee of the Leather Bottle, near Brentwood, Essex, said: “It’s going to be a fantastic night and we were dreading the prospect of cancelling.
“I feel Boris has done the right thing. People do feel that they should just get on with their lives.
“We have plenty of regulars who are partial to a bit of fizz and I have no doubt they will be popping champagne corks at this news.”
Restaurant worker Stephen Lucas, 37, from Clacton-on-Sea, Essex, said the decision not to impose further restrictions was “fantastic news”.
He added: “We are hugely relieved because New Year’s Eve gives us that last chance to earn generous tips before January — which is traditionally a very tough month for hospitality.
“We’ve spent the best part of two years with lockdowns and constant uncertainty, as we all have, so I think everyone needs this.”
Darrell Young, a barman at Newcastle’s city centre Tyne Bar, welcomed the prospect of Scots coming to party.
He said: “It’s good for business, but on the other hand we will still be taking safety into account.”
Kate Nicholls, head of UK Hospitality, said: “Pubs, bars and restaurants will be putting the champagne on ice. This is great news.
“This will give a real lifeline for many who have struggled with the loss of trade in the run up to Christmas and the loss of New Year on top of that would have been devastating for many.”
Tory MP Jonathan Gullis said: “This is great news. After the misery of the past two years we need to let our hair down and have a party — and Boris has made sure we can. It will put a smile on the country’s face.” Scott Lawrie, 37, landlord of The Meadow House, the last pub in England on the A1 before you cross into Scotland, said: “Being able to trade for the Christmas and New Year period is a godsend.”
Mr Lawrie, who took over the pub recently, said Scots have previously come in their droves due to stricter lockdown conditions over the border.
He added: “We expect coaches from Scotland.”
Greg Mulholland, from the Campaign for Pubs, said: “After a miserable December this is great news and a huge relief. Publicans and pub staff will be raising a glass tonight and can get on with what they do best — welcoming punters. This is a lifeline for many pubs.”
Millions in England have faced an anxious few days as they waited to hear if lockdown restrictions would be imposed this week.
Ministers had been weighing up curbs such as a return to the rule of six and closing pubs indoors.
But the PM decided the measures were not yet needed after being briefed on hospital data by Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty and Chief Scientific Adviser Sir Patrick Vallance yesterday. Announcing the good news, Health Secretary Sajid Javid said: “People should remain cautious as we approach New Year celebrations, and take a lateral flow test, celebrate outside if you can, have some ventilation indoors if you can.”
He too urged Brits to get their booster if they want to stay out of hospital. And he warned that more restrictions could be imposed in 2022 if hospitals start to struggle.
Dr Raghib Ali, a consultant in acute medicine at Oxford University Hospitals Trust, said the data shows that “while Omicron is spreading fast, it causes less serious illness than other variants”. He added: “The picture is very different from this time last year. Not as many people are getting seriously ill with Omicron as they did with Delta.”
He thinks Omicron will replace Delta as the dominant strain. If more contagious, less serious variants continue to emerge, Covid may eventually “burn itself out”.
The number of people in mech-anical ventilation beds was 758 on Sunday — more than 100 fewer than in late October and early November, before Omicron arrived.
