Test and travel rules eased but 'Plan B still best'

BORIS Johnson has insisted he was right to stick with England's Plan B coronavirus measures despite rapidly rising hospital admissions, soaring case rates and staff shortages hitting the NHS.

The Prime Minister told MPs the Cabinet had agreed to keep the existing domestic restrictions but eased travel testing rules.

He also confirmed plans being implemented across the UK to end the requirement for confirmatory PCR tests for asymptomatic people who test positive using a lateral flow device (LFD).

An estimated 3.7 million people in the UK had Covid-19 in the week ending December 31, up from 2.3 million in the week to December 23 and the highest number since comparable figures began in autumn 2020, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.

In England around one in 15 people in private households had Covid-19, according to ONS estimates - a level rising to one in 10 in London.

NHS England figures showed 15,659 people were in hospital with Covid-19 yesterday morning, an increase of 615 on 24 hours earlier, although the number of patients requiring mechanical ventilation was down 28 to 769.