There Will Be No New Covid Rules In England Until The New Year, According To Javid

Sajid Javid has stated that there will be no more Covid restrictions in England before the new year.

However, the health secretary advised people to "be cautious" and celebrate New Year's Eve outside if possible.

Ministers will continue to monitor the statistics, according to Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who advised individuals to get their "first, second, or booster jab as soon as possible."

In the meantime, both England and Scotland recorded a spike in cases over the holidays.

On December 25, 113,628 new illnesses were reported in England, followed by 103,558 on December 26 and 98,515 on December 27.

For the same three days in Scotland, preliminary data revealed 8,252 instances on Christmas Day, 11,030 the next day, and 10,562 on Monday.

Over the Christmas holiday, only partial Covid data for the UK was disclosed; full information will be released later this month.

For many reasons, including people being less likely to receive a test on Christmas Day and data processing delays over the holiday season, Dr Sarah Pitt, a virologist at the University of Brighton, told the BBC that the cases data was "likely to be an underestimate."

The projected sharp increase in cases in Scotland, according to First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, "is now materializing."

Since Christmas Eve, Northern Ireland has not reported any case data, whereas Wales has recorded another.