COVID news live: New measures to be reviewed one week before Christmas as Boris Johnson reacts to Omicron variant – Sky News

Devi Sridhar, professor of global public health at Edinburgh University, has been speaking again to Sky News following the news conference.

Asked if she felt the PM had gone far enough, she said "we don't have enough information" yet about Omicron.

She added that "people shouldn't be too anxious" at this stage because we don't know if the new variant can "out-compete" the dominant Delta strain.

Like Sir Patrick Vallance, she says we have vaccines, boosters, rapid testing and we understand more - so we are in a better position than last winter.

She says mask wearing is a "great" measure to stop infection. Mr Johnson announced the rules on masks would be tightened - though it was his tweet during the news conference that explicitly said they would be compulsory in shops and on public transport.

Professor Sridhar suggests the PM, who has been criticised in recent months for appearing maskless in a hospital and lowering his mask during a theatre performance of Macbeth, should set a better example by masking up while out and about.

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COVID news live: New measures to be reviewed one week before Christmas as Boris Johnson reacts to Omicron variant - Sky News