As COVID-19 continues to wreak havoc on the NFL's schedule and scores of players are placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list, teams are left scrambling to maintain a full roster.
On Monday, the Browns took the field against the Raiders without quarterback Baker Mayfield and a host of other key players, while Washington lost to the Eagles on Tuesday with Garrett Gilbert, signed off the Patriots' practice squad just four days before the game, under center.
With three weeks remaining in the regular season, here's a team-by-team rundown of who is currently on the COVID-19 list, and which players have recently been activated.
Dallas Cowboys
New York Giants
DB Keion Crossen
DB Adoree' Jackson
DB J.R. Reed
CB Aaron Robinson
LB Oshane Ximines
LB Cam Brown
WR John Ross
WR Kadarius Toney
Philadelphia Eagles
Washington
LB Cole Holcomb
LB David Mayo
LB Khaleke Hudson
DB Kendall Fuller
DB Darrick Forrest
QB Kyle Allen
QB Taylor Heinicke
OL Brandon Scherff
DB Kamren Curl
C Tyler Larsen
LB Milo Eifler
Chicago Bears
Detroit Lions
Green Bay Packers
Minnesota Vikings
Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals placed Hudson on the COVID-19 list on Dec. 16, while Lee joined him on Wednesday.
Los Angeles Rams
The Rams activated Terrell Burgess, Rob Havenstein, Sebastian Joseph-Day, Ogbonnia Okoronkwo and Jamil Demby from the COVID-19 list on Wednesday.
Seattle Seahawks
Seattle activated running back Alex Collins from the COVID-19 list on Wednesday.
San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers do not have any players currently on the COVID-19 list.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
New Orleans Saints
Two of New Orleans tight ends have found themselves on the Reserve/COVID-19 list, Adam Trautman getting added on Wednesday. This leaves only one healthy tight end on the rosterNick Vannett.
Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons test on Mondays, but no players were added to the Reserve/COVID-19 list as of Wednesday evening.
Carolina Panthers
Christian McCafferey was removed from the Reserve/COVID-19 list, but he is still out for the season. Browns absence will be the most notable on Sunday, and the Charlotte Observer reported that its possible that defensive tackles DaQuan Jones and Bravvion Roy will start in his place.
Tennessee Titans
Indianapolis Colts
Houston Texans
Jacksonville Jaguars
New England Patriots
J.J. Taylor was activated from the reserve/COVID-19 on Wednesday. He had been on the list since Nov. 29, when he tested positive for COVID-19.
Miami Dolphins
Buffalo Bills
New York Jets
Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs activated linebacker Willie Gay and wide receiver Josh Gordon. Butker will miss Kansas Citys Week 16 game against the Steelers because he is unvaccinated and must quarantine for 10 days. Elliott Fry is expected to handle kicking duties in his place.
Los Angeles Chargers
Las Vegas Raiders
Facyson was placed on the COVID-19 list on Wednesday, while Hobbs was put on the list on Tuesday.
Denver Broncos
The Broncos do not have any players currently on the COVID-19 list. The team activated outside linebacker Malik Reed from the list on Wednesday.
Cincinnati Bengals
Baltimore Ravens
Four more active roster Ravens were added to the Reserve/COVID-19 list on Wednesday as well as one practice squad member: safety Geno Stone , defensive tackle Justin Madubuike, linebacker Chris Board and linebacker Kristian Welch.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Three Pittsburgh players were added to the leagues Reserve/COVID-19 list on Wednesday, including starting linebacker Devin Bush.
Cleveland Browns
The Browns activated starting tight end Austin Hooper and linebacker Jacob Phillips. Head coach Kevin Stefanski, who missed the Monday night game after testing positive, cleared testing protocols on Wednesday. Although Mayfield is still on the list, its expected that he will be cleared in time for Saturdays game against the Packers.
More NFL Coverage:
A health worker administers a dose of a Moderna COVID-19 vaccine during a vaccination clinic at the Norristown Public Health Center in Norristown, Pa., Tuesday, Dec. 7, 2021. (AP Photo / Matt Rourke, File)
NEW YORK (AP) Worried that a new COVID-19 wave could overwhelm understaffed U.S. hospitals, federal officials on Thursday loosened rules that call on health care workers to stay out of work for 10 days if they test positive.
Those workers now will be allowed to come back to work after seven days if they test negative and dont have symptoms. Isolation time can be cut if there are severe staffing shortages, according to the new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance.
As the health care community prepares for an anticipated surge in patients due to omicron, CDC is updating our recommendations to reflect what we know about infection and exposure in the context of vaccination and booster doses, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said in a statement.
Our goal is to keep health care personnel and patients safe, and to address and prevent undue burden on our healthcare facilities, she added.
Isolation is designed to keep infected people away from uninfected people, to prevent further spread of the virus.
CDC officials have advised that in calculating the 10-day isolation period, the first day should be the first full day after symptoms first developed or after a positive test. If a person develops symptoms sometime after a positive COVID-19 test, the quarantine period must restart, beginning one day after the symptoms develop.
The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR) reports as of December 23, 2021, there are currently 9,285 active COVID-19 cases statewide. There have been nine deaths reported since the last report, with a total of 5,251 deaths attributed to COVID-19.
DHHR has confirmed the deaths of a 66-year old female from Cabell County, a 47-year old female from Grant County, an 86-year old male from Jackson County, an 88-year old male from Hancock County, an 87-year old female from Grant County, a 69-year old female from Logan County, a 77-year old female from Greenbrier County, and a 73-year old female from Kanawha County.
Included in the total deaths reported on the dashboard as a result of the Bureau for Public Healths continuing data reconciliation with the official death certificate is an 80-year old male from Cabell County. This death occurred in November 2021.
During this holiday season and always, we mourn the loss of these West Virginians and send our deepest sympathies to their loved ones, said Bill J. Crouch, DHHR Cabinet Secretary. Please choose vaccination to prevent further spread and illness.
CURRENT ACTIVE CASES PER COUNTY: Barbour (96), Berkeley (1,391), Boone (106), Braxton (69), Brooke (88), Cabell (393), Calhoun (52), Clay (44), Doddridge (26), Fayette (312), Gilmer (40), Grant (67), Greenbrier (209), Hampshire (67), Hancock (123), Hardy (87), Harrison (322), Jackson (97), Jefferson (539), Kanawha (570), Lewis (58), Lincoln (98), Logan (149), Marion (232), Marshall (110), Mason (119), McDowell (108), Mercer (464), Mineral (100), Mingo (104), Monongalia (282), Monroe (107), Morgan (160), Nicholas (197), Ohio (249), Pendleton (14), Pleasants (18), Pocahontas (17), Preston (110), Putnam (290), Raleigh (477), Randolph (119), Ritchie (40), Roane (65), Summers (59), Taylor (97), Tucker (17), Tyler (17), Upshur (85), Wayne (164), Webster (29), Wetzel (50), Wirt (16), Wood (250), Wyoming (116). To find the cumulative cases per county, please visit www.coronavirus.wv.gov and look on the Cumulative Summary tab which is sortable by county.
Delays may be experienced with the reporting of information from the local health department to DHHR. As case surveillance continues at the local health department level, it may reveal that those tested in a certain county may not be a resident of that county, or even the state as an individual in question may have crossed the state border to be tested. Please visit www.coronavirus.wv.gov for more detailed information.
West Virginians ages 5 years and older are eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine. Boosters are also available. To learn more about the vaccine, or to find a vaccine site near you, visit vaccinate.wv.gov or call 1-833-734-0965.
Applications for the Do it for Babydog: Senior Center Edition are open for individuals over the age of 50 who have been fully vaccinated and who received their booster shot after December 7, 2021 to receive a $50 prepaid visa gift card. Please visit https://doitforbabydog.wv.gov/senior-registration.
Free pop-up COVID-19 testing is available today in Barbour, Berkeley, Braxton, Cabell, Greenbrier, Hampshire, Jefferson, Marion, Mingo, Monroe, Nicholas, Ohio, Raleigh, Randolph, Upshur, and Wood counties.
Barbour County
7:30 AM - 3:30 PM, Community Market, 107 South Main Street (across the street from Walgreens), Philippi, WV (optional pre-registration: https://labpass.com/en/registration?access_code=WVBBC)
3:00 PM - 7:00 PM, Junior Volunteer Fire Department, 331 Row Avenue, Junior, WV (optional pre-registration: https://unityphr.com/campaigns/wvlabs/covid)
Berkeley County
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM, 891 Auto Parts Place, Martinsburg, WV (optional pre-registration: https://unityphr.com/campaigns/wvlabs/covid)
Braxton County
7:30 AM - 1:30 PM, Braxton County Memorial Hospital (parking lot), 100 Hoylman Drive, Gassaway, WV (optional pre-registration: https://labpass.com/en/registration?access_code=Braxton)
Cabell County
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM, Cabell-Huntington Health Department (parking lot), 703 Seventh Avenue, Huntington, WV (optional pre-registration: https://labpass.com/en/registration?access_code=MavCabell)
Greenbrier County
9:30 AM - 3:00 PM, State Fair of WV, 891 Maplewood Avenue, Lewisburg, WV (optional pre-registration: https://labpass.com/en/registration?access_code=WVGBC)
Hampshire County
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM, Hampshire Memorial Hospital, 363 Sunrise Boulevard, Romney, WV (optional pre-registration: https://unityphr.com/campaigns/wvlabs/covid)
Jefferson County
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM, Hollywood Casino, 750 Hollywood Drive, Charles Town, WV (optional pre-registration: https://unityphr.com/campaigns/wvlabs/covid)
Marion County
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM, Dunbar School Foundation, 101 High Street, Fairmont, WV
Mingo County
9:00 AM - 2:30 PM, Gilbert City Hall, 5 Wharncliff Avenue, Gilbert, WV (optional pre-registration: https://labpass.com/en/registration?access_code=WVMGC)
Monroe County
9:00 AM - 2:00 PM, Church of God Fellowship Hall, 96 Bud Ridge Road, Union, WV (optional pre-registration: https://labpass.com/en/registration?access_code=WVMRC)
Nicholas County
9:00 AM - 3:30 PM, Summersville Regional Medical Center, 400 Fairview Heights Road, Summersville, WV (optional pre-registration: https://labpass.com/en/registration?access_code=WVNL)
Ohio County
9:00 AM - 3:30 PM, Ohio Valley Medical Center (parking lot of former VPC South Building at the top of 22nd Street), 2000 Eoff Street, Wheeling, WV (optional pre-registration: https://roxbylabs.dendisoftware.com/patient_registration/)
Raleigh County
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM, Beckley-Raleigh County Health Department, 1602 Harper Road, Beckley, WV (optional pre-registration: https://labpass.com/en/registration?access_code=MavBeckleyRaleigh)
Randolph County
8:00 AM - 3:30 PM, Randolph-Elkins Health Department (parking lot), 32 Randolph Avenue, Elkins, WV (optional pre-registration: https://labpass.com/en/registration?access_code=WVRDC)
Upshur County
8:00 AM - 3:30 PM, Buckhannon Fire Department (parking lot), 22 South Florida Street, Buckhannon, WV (optional pre-registration: https://labpass.com/en/registration?access_code=WVUSC)
Wood County
7:30 AM - 3:00 PM, Vienna Baptist Church, 3401 Grand Central Avenue, Vienna, WV (optional pre-registration: https://labpass.com/en/registration?access_code=WVMavWood1)
Free COVID-19 testing will be held on Sunday, December 26 in Cabell, Fayette, Greenbrier, and Nicholas counties. For more testing locations, please visit https://dhhr.wv.gov/COVID-19/pages/testing.aspx.
Cabell County
12:00 PM - 4:00 PM, Cabell-Huntington Health Department (parking lot), 703 Seventh Avenue, Huntington, WV (optional pre-registration: https://labpass.com/en/registration?access_code=MavCabell)
Fayette County
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM, J.W. & Hazel Ruby West Virginia Welcome Center, 55 Ruby Lane, Mount Hope, WV
Greenbrier County
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM, State Fair of WV, 891 Maplewood Avenue, Lewisburg, WV (optional pre-registration: https://labpass.com/en/registration?access_code=WVGBC)
Nicholas County
1:00 PM - 5:00 PM, Summersville Regional Medical Center, 400 Fairview Heights Road, Summersville, WV (optional pre-registration: https://labpass.com/en/registration?access_code=WVNL)
Dec 23 (Reuters) - U.S. automaker General Motors Co (GM.N), Alphabet Inc.'s (GOOGL.O) Google and its self-driving auto-technology company Waymo on Thursday joined the companies no longer attending the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in person early next month due to rising COVID-19 infections.
GM Chief Executive Mary Barra had been scheduled to give a keynote speech at the annual conference on Jan. 5, during which the company would have shown its electric Silverado pickup truck for the first time. Barra will still make the speech and presentation remotely, a spokesman said. read more
"We have decided to move to an all-digital approach with our activation at CES 2022 in January," the U.S. automaker said in a statement. "We are continuing with our plans on Jan. 5 to share our significant company news, including the reveal of the Chevrolet Silverado EV."
Register
A Google spokesperson said in a statement: "After careful consideration we have decided to withhold from having a presence on the show floor of CES 2022," adding that Google would continue to "identify and support virtual opportunities."
Waymo said in a blog post that it hopes to participate virtually if possible at the Las Vegas event, which traditionally has drawn over 180,000 people from around the world to discuss emerging technologies and party through the night with business contacts.
ByteDance-owned TikTok said it would hold a virtual event for partners and advertisers. Also on Thursday, Intel Corp (INTC.O) said it would minimize staffing at CES.
"The health and safety ofour employees, partners and customers is always a top priority," the chipmaker said. "Our plans for CES will move to a digital-first, live experience, with minimal on-site staff."
Several other companies, including Facebook parent Meta Platforms Inc (FB.O), Twitter Inc (TWTR.N), Lenovo Group (0992.HK), AT&T Inc (T.N) and Amazon.com Inc dropped in-person attendance plans earlier this week, saying they would not send employees out of caution over the spread of Omicron. read more
CES officials said the event will still be held in person from Jan. 5-8 with "strong safety measures in place," including vaccination requirements, masking and availability of COVID-19 tests.
"Our mission remains to convene the industry and give those who cannot attend in person the ability to experience the magic of CES digitally," CES said in a statement. "CES 2022 will go forward as important innovation for world health and safety, mobility and solving problems will be exhibited."
It added that while it had received 42 exhibitor cancellations since last Thursday, that was less than 7% of the exhibitor floor and 60 others had been added.
The Omicron variant of COVID-19 was first detected last month in Hong Kong and southern Africa, sparking global concerns about a fast-spreading new version of the virus. Coronavirus infections have soared wherever highly infectious Omicron has spread, triggering new restrictions in many countries.
Register
Reporting by Paresh Dave and Ben Klayman; Additional reporting by Elizabeth Culliford and Stephen Nellis; Editing by Mark Porter, Cynthia Osterman and Aurora Ellis
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
The New Orleans Saints are looking down the barrel of possibly starting their fourth different quarterback this season. According to the NFL Network, the team is placing starter Taysom Hill on the reserve/COVID-19 list on Thursday. Hill now joins backup signal-caller Trevor Siemian, who was placed on the COVID list earlier this week. With those two now on the shelf, for the time being, New Orleans is preparing to start rookie Ian Book against the Dolphins on Monday night.
The vaccination status of both Hill and Siemian is unclear at the moment. If either one is vaccinated, there is a path towards testing out of protocols in time for this game on Monday under the NFL and NFLPA's updated policy. If either is unvaccinated and have produced a positive test, that means they'll be forced into a 10-day quarantine, which would result in them missing Week 16.
This comes at a critical point in New Orleans' season as they are in the midst of a playoff push at 7-7. They'd likely need to win out to give themselves a shot to get into the postseason, so not having its preferred starter comes at a less than ideal time.
Since assuming the starting role back in Week 13, Hill and the Saints have gone 2-1 and were coming off a shutout win over the Buccaneers in Week 15. Over that stretch, Hill has completed 52.8% of his passes, averaged 197.7 yards passing and 69 yards per game on the ground. he also has four total touchdowns and four interceptions.
As for Ian Book, he was drafted by New Orleans in the fourth round of the 2021 NFL Draft out of Notre Dame. He finished his collegiate career as the Fighting Irish's winningest quarterback in the school's history, but has yet to throw an NFL pass. During his final season at Notre Dame, Book completed 64.6% of his throws and averaged 8 yards per attempt. He also rushed 116 times in 2020 on a 4.2 yards per carry clip.
A COVID-19 outbreak has sidelined 18 members of the Jets, including 17 players and head coach Robert Saleh, who tested positive on Wednesday.
Its unclear in some cases who tested positive and who is just a close contact. The same goes for vaccination status, which would determine if players are eligible to play in Week 16 against the Jaguars. Any vaccinated player must test negative for the virus twice 24 hours apart and be asymptomatic in order to play this weekend.
As a Tier 1 coach, Saleh must be vaccinated to interact with players in-person. Tight ends coach Ron Middleton will run in-person practices while Saleh is out and will be the interim head coach on Sunday if Saleh is forced to miss the game.
Some of the sidelined players are on the active roster, while others are on injured reserve or the practice squad. Here is every Jet currently out due to COVID-19.
8:30 AM ET
Adrian Wojnarowski
Baxter Holmes
SIX PLAYERS BOARDED a charter to Midway Airport for a Toronto-Chicago meeting that would never happen -- a ghost team flying to a ghost game. Toronto Raptors coach Nick Nurse kept scores of his coaching and support staff back home, separating out those with young families awaiting Santa Claus.
"One positive [COVID-19] test puts you in Chicago over Christmas," Nurse told ESPN.
If anyone had been cursed with the sense of impending NBA gloom, it was these Raptors. Outside of the head coach and four assistants, the army of support staff that typically traveled had been whittled down to what Nurse described as "the least-attached video guy."
What was usually a traveling crew of 60 became a spartan 20 on the team flight. "Three buses for six players," Nurse said. "That was something to see."
As NBA problems go, these Raptors had absorbed some of the hardest hits since the pandemic's start in March 2020. From the bubble in Orlando, Florida, to a season-long exile in Tampa, the Raptors would go 19 months between games in Canada. Even now, home games at Scotiabank Arena are limited to 50% capacity.
The Raptors' roster was decimated by an outbreak in the 2020-21 season, and again now -- including seven players who have landed in the NBA's health and safety protocols prior to the team charter leaving for Chicago on Tuesday night. Raptors guard OG Anunoby made it eight on Wednesday, leaving the team with four available roster players, four short of the league-required eight players to play the Bulls. For days, Nurse could see it coming. They all did.
As Raptors players kept testing positive for the virus -- Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet, Scottie Barnes and Gary Trent Jr. -- the front office stayed on the phone recruiting replacements. "We had three when I went to bed [Monday night], four when I woke up, and we got a fifth when I landed in Chicago," Nurse told ESPN.
The replacements would have had to play against the Bulls, but the Raptors will still need them on Sunday in Cleveland. The postponement spared Nurse a pregame meeting with his new players at the United Center, where he planned on the most elementary of introductions to Raptors basketball. Asked what, in that short window, Nurse could do to prepare them to play meaningful minutes, he said: "The simple stuff, like, 'Here's how to get the ball inbounds.'"
As it turned out in Chicago on Wednesday, some of the Raptors' replacement players tested positive for COVID-19, and Anunoby needed a private plane to fly back separately to Toronto. Another wasted trip, another game cancellation for a steeled but beleaguered organization.
Such is the rudimentary state of an NBA suddenly under the siege of a three-week December barrage that has uprooted stars, starters and rotation players, and replaced them with minor leaguers and old-timers.
The Raptors aren't alone.
As the omicron variant rages through the NBA, 11 other teams have faced outbreaks with each losing five or more players to the health and safety protocols. Three head coaches have entered the protocols, along with Raptors president Masai Ujiri. Nine games have been postponed. There have been 140 player entries into the protocols this season, with 123 this month alone, a brutal stretch by any measure. Several teams teeter dangerously close to not having enough healthy bodies, while G League players are filling vacant spots at a breakneck pace, severely impacting the level of play.
These most difficult weeks come just 48 hours away from Christmas, the league's most high-profile regular-season slate of games. But as of Wednesday, a total of 45 players among 10 teams scheduled to play on Christmas remained in the protocols. In a league overwhelmingly reliant on its star appeal, Christmas games could be played without Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kevin Durant, Luka Doncic, James Harden, Trae Young and an injured Anthony Davis.
STANDING IN THE locker room at Barclays Center, Brooklyn Nets guard Bruce Brown stared at the empty stalls surrounding him: all his neighbors, all absent. No James Johnson. No DeAndre' Bembry. No Paul Millsap. It was Dec. 14, and the Nets were about to face the Raptors, but they were also in the teeth of a COVID-19 breakout. As Brown glanced to his left and right, a sense of dread settled in. "I don't think it's going to skip over my locker," he thought to himself.
Soon, Brown found himself on the court warming up for a rare starting assignment, a byproduct of so many teammates in the protocols. He wore a good sweat and the good-faith belief he had cleared two rounds of game-day testing. It felt like a clean getaway.
But before tipoff, Nets assistant general manager Jeff Peterson waved Brown toward the tunnel to the locker room. One of Brown's two pregame tests had come back inconclusive, and the NBA told the Nets that they needed to enter Brown into the league's protocols. Officials walked Brown toward an empty side room, brought him his street clothes and belongings, and walked him out to the loading dock to leave the arena.
Awaiting Brown was Nets star guard Harden.
COVID-19 is currently affecting multiple NFL teams. Many players are on the COVID-19 list as the number of positive cases across North American sports continues to rise.
The Cincinnati Bengals are one team that has managed to avoid having a lengthy reserve/COVID-19 list. There could be many reasons why this is the case, but Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow has a funny -- and brutally honest -- theory about why his team has managed to keep players healthy and on the field.
Prepare Ohio folk, his answer is not exactly a compliment to one city in your state.
Here's what Burrow said,via ESPN:
"Fortunately, there's not a ton to do in Cincinnati. Nobody is going out to clubs and bars and getting COVID every weekend."
Poor Queen City.
Burrow continued, saying "We're still a healthy team, which not a lot of people can say at this point of the season. We've been lucky as far as injuries and COVID."
This NFL season has already seen rescheduled games, with the league postponing three games last week as COVID-19 cases increased. Burrow's squad is currently battling it out with the Baltimore Ravens for the AFC North division title. Both teams are 8-6.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson attending a Christmas event at 10 Downing Street last week.Credit...Dan Kitwood/Getty Images
LONDON For a week, Prime Minister Boris Johnson of Britain has denied damaging claims that his staff broke lockdown rules by holding a party last Christmas when such festivities were banned under government-imposed coronavirus restrictions.
Late Tuesday, the governments story weakened when a video surfaced of senior staff members joking about just such a party four days after they had reportedly gathered to eat snacks, drink wine and play party games in Downing Street.
The revelations have shaken Mr. Johnsons government, coming just as Britain and the rest of the world enter a second holiday season battered by the emergence of a new variant and faced by anger and frustration from exhausted citizens.
The furor claimed its first casualty on Wednesday when Allegra Stratton, a senior aide, resigned. Ms. Stratton acknowledged that remarks she made in the video, at a time when she was Mr. Johnsons spokesperson, seemed to make light of rules that people were doing everything to obey.
Most recently, Ms. Stratton had been spokesperson for the British government on the United Nations global climate summit in Glasgow known as COP26.
Later on Wednesday, Mr. Johnson of Britain announced major new restrictions to curb the spread of the coronavirus, urging people to work from home and introducing a vaccine passport for some indoor venues, measures that his government had long resisted.
Critics have accused Mr. Johnson of lying and trying to cover up the event in Downing Street last Christmas. There has also been anger from some Britons who, at the time, were prevented by lockdown rules even from saying farewell to dying relatives.
Downing Street has denied that a Christmas party took place but has not denied that there was an event of some kind. Mr. Johnson has said that any gathering that occurred followed Covid protocols.
At his weekly question-and-answer session at Parliament Wednesday, Mr. Johnson apologized for the video and said he was sickened and furious about it. But he said he was repeatedly assured that no party took place. He said the cabinet secretary, Simon Case, who is head of the civil service, would investigate and that if there were breaches of lockdown rules there would be disciplinary action.
Amid growing pressure on the prime minister, even some of his own lawmakers appealed publicly for him to get his story straight. On Tuesday night, the Metropolitan Police, the force that covers London, said it was reviewing the video.
The reports about the Downing Street party, which first appeared in the Daily Mirror, did not suggest that Mr. Johnson himself had attended any festivities. Nor does the video released by ITV, which shows staff members conducting a mock news conference with questions about the implications of holding such a party, completely confirm that an event occurred.
But the video shows that senior staff members were aware of the risk that they might be asked about a party in Downing Street and had no credible response. The video shows Allegra Stratton, who was then Mr. Johnsons press secretary, at a rehearsal for a news conference, with a Downing Street colleague playing a journalist. At the time, Ms. Stratton was preparing to give White House style news conferences, though that idea was eventually abandoned.
When asked about reports of a Downing Street Christmas party, she laughed and replied: I went home, before asking, Whats the answer?
Is cheese and wine all right? It was a business meeting, Ms. Stratton can be heard saying. This fictional party was a business meeting, she continued, before laughing and adding: And it was not socially distanced.
Opponents have seized on the video as more evidence of a familiar and damaging critique: that the Conservative-led government applies one set of rules to itself and another to the rest of the population. That was deeply damaging early in the pandemic when faith in the government was seriously undermined after Mr. Johnsons former chief adviser, Dominic Cummings, traveled hundreds of miles to his parents home during a lockdown.
In response to the video, the leader of the opposition Labour Party, Keir Starmer, accused the government of misleading the public. People across the country followed the rules even when that meant being separated from their families, locked down and tragically for many unable to say goodbye to their loved ones, he said.
They had a right to expect that the government was doing the same, he added. To lie and to laugh about those lies is shameful.No timescale has yet been given for the inquiry to be conducted by Mr. Case, the cabinet secretary. Nor does his remit extend to investigating reports about other parties in Downing Street including one that the Daily Mirror claims Mr. Johnson himself spoke at.
With omicron variant cases rising in the U.S., major cruise lines are taking precautions to protect travelers.
Royal Caribbean is the latest to be plagued by the ongoing pandemic. The companys Symphony of the Seas ship returned to its home port in Miami with 48 confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Saturday out of a passenger and crew load of more than 6,000.
A day later, the cruise lines Odyssey of the Seas ship was diverted from its eight-night voyage after a passenger tested positive for the respiratory virus. The infected passenger and their travel companions were quarantined and disembarked the diverted ship in Ft. Lauderdale, a representative for Royal Caribbean told FOX Business.
COVID PASSENGER FORCES ROYAL CARIBBEAN'S ODYSSEY OF THE SEAS TO BRIEFLY RETURN TO PORT
Royal Caribbean's Odyssey of the Seas ship was diverted from its eight-night voyage after a passenger tested positive forCOVID-19 on Sunday, Dec. 19, 2021. The ship had departed Ft. Lauderdale on Saturday. (Royal Caribbean)
While the number of confirmed cases is less than 1% of the capacity load on each ship, concerns about the coronavirus spread appear to be growing in light of the delta and omicron COVID-19 variants. Its also occurring nearly two years after Princess Cruises Diamond Princess ship got hit with a severe coronavirus outbreak that lead to more than 700 infections and 13 deaths.
Out of an abundance of caution, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian Cruise Line and Carnival Cruise Line have reinstated mask policies for indoor communal areas. Masks can be removed when eating or drinking in a stationary area, but activities like smoking in casinos are temporarily prohibited.
Most major cruise lines have long made COVID-19 vaccinations mandatory for passengers, which is typically required at least 14 days before departure. Each cruise lines vaccination age range varies, so passengers should check company policies before booking a trip.
CRUISE SHIP WITH COVID-19 INFECTIONS ARRIVES IN NEW ORLEANS
Out of an abundance of caution, major cruise lines have reinstated mask policies for indoor communal areas. (iStock)
"Cruise ships are a major congregate setting, and provide a congenial environment for viruses to replicate," Dr. Vino Palli told Fox News Digital. "Folks should postpone their cruise travel during this winter because of the increased transmissibility of the Omicron variant."
In cases where cruise bookings cant be canceled, Palli recommends passengers get a COVID-19 booster before boarding.
"Get tested before and after the trip," said Palli, who is the chief executive officer at MiDoctor Urgent Care. "Once you are on the cruise, wear a mask in common areas, wash your hands thoroughly, report any symptoms to the crew, and go to the infirmary and get checked out. Isolate yourself if you are positive for COVID-19 or if you are symptomatic."
COVID LOCKDOWN-FREE FLORIDA IS TOP VACATION SPOT FOR HOLIDAYS
The U.S. Centers for Disease and Prevention (CDC) has categorized cruising to be a high-risk (Level 3) activity.
In an updated cruise ship guideline, the CDC wrote, "The chance of getting COVID-19 on cruise ships is high because the virus spreads easily between people in close quarters aboard ships."
In an updated cruise ship guideline, the CDC wrote, 'The chance of getting COVID-19 on cruise ships is high because the virus spreads easily between people in close quarters aboard ships.' (iStock)
The federal health agency has also named large gatherings, indoor settings with extended exposure and entertainment options like singing to be high risk which are all common occurrences on cruise ships.
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"You must evaluate your personal risk. I would apply this to cruising and any other travel plans," said Keri Lestage, PhD, a chief science officer at Byoplanet International. "Here is the checklist I would use: If you are vaccinated and you dont have significant underlying conditions happy cruising. If you are vaccinated and over the age of 70 and otherwise healthy cruise cautiously. If you are vaccinated and have underlying health conditions [cruising is] not recommended vaccinate efficacy can be significantly diminished with some conditions. If youre not vaccinated stay home."
FOX Business' Danielle Genovese and Lucas Manfredi contributed to this report.
