Prime Minister Boris Johnson is set to reveal his plans to contain the surge of COVID-19 deaths and infections expected to take place in the winter in an attempt to avoid further lockdowns.
Discover our latest podcast
What to expect from the winter plan?
In a conference to be held tomorrow, 14 September, the PM will be announcing which restrictions and safety measures will be put into place and which will be scrapped. As it stands currently, the proposal to require COVID passports for nightclubs have been scratched, while booster jabs are said to be the main solution to fight off the virus. Health Secretary Sajid Javid explained that:
I've never liked the idea of saying to people you must show your papers to do what is just an everyday activity. We've looked at it properly, and whilst we should keep it in reserve, I'm pleased to say we will not be going ahead with plans for vaccine passports.
A third dose will be given out to the most vulnerable, including the elderly and the immunocompromised, and the wear of masks and a return to working remotely is a likely outcome. Though nothing is set in stone, the PM has vowed to make it his mission to avoid strict lockdowns in the UK.
'This is the new normal'
It is left to be confirmed whether children aged 12 to 15 will be receiving their first dose of the vaccine, as well as what the COVID winter blueprint will entail for international travel. A senior government source has told The Telegraph that Johnson's aim is to prepare the nation to accept the fact they will have to learn to live with the virus:
This is the new normal. We need to learn to live with Covid. The vaccines are a wall of defence. The autumn and the winter do offer some uncertainty, but the Prime Minister is dead set against another lockdown.
