If Plan B doesn’t work to tackle Omicron, what comes next? (Picture: Getty)
Plan B has been discussed for some time – but what is this Plan C we’ve heard rumblings about?
At time of writing, the government is currently implementing ‘Plan B’ – a raft of Covid-19 restrictions including a new ‘work from home’ order, mandatory face masks in shops and public indoor spaces, plus the use of vaccine passports.
These rules all apply to England, and there are slight variations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
For a few days now, there have also been rumours of a ‘Plan C’. Essentially, this would be a tougher set of Covid-19 restrictions designed to stamp out the spread of the new Omicron variant.
Just days ago, Health Secretary Sajid Javid said that there could be 10,000 cases already in the UK – with UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) data showing Omicron cases possibly toppling the one million mark by the end of the month.
So, what would Plan C involve, exactly?
What are Plan C’s rules?
Is this what Plan C could look like? (Picture: Getty/metro.co.uk)
Firstly, the government has not yet even confirmed the existence of a Plan C, so the reported rules could change based on case numbers – or never see the light of day.
Right now, it appears to be focusing its efforts on Plan B, the booster jab rollout – and swatting away fervent discussion of its alleged lockdown Christmas parties in 2020.
But it has been widely reported that a Plan C is being considered, which would involve more stringent restrictions.
Reports suggest these could include:
- Check-ins using the NHS Covid-19 app, bringing back contact tracing for hospitality venues.
- Greater use of vaccine passports at more entertainment and hospitality venues.
- Self-isolating for 10 days, if you’ve had close contact with a positive Covid-19 case, according to the i. Currently, only close contacts of Omicron cases have to self-isolate.
- Mandatory face masks in all indoor settings, including pubs, restaurants, gyms and maybe even school classrooms, unless you have a genuine exemption. This is more than is required beyond what’s currently set out in Plan B’s face mask rules.
When will Plan C be enforced, if ever?
There’s no set date in mind for Plan C. Again, it’s just a potential scenario.
That said, it does seem that – if it were to be implemented – it would be in the New Year if cases of Omicron were to surge.
Speaking in the House of Commons on December 8, Mr Javid said: ‘[UKHSA] estimates that the number of infections are approximately 20 times higher than the number of confirmed cases, and so the current number of infections is probably closer to 10,000.
‘UKHSA also estimate that at the current observed doubling rate of between two and a half and three days, by the end of this month, infections could exceed 1 million.’
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