Weddings and funerals ‘will be exempt’ if any new Covid rules are brought in

The Prime Minister Boris Johnson is not expected to introduce tougher restrictions in relation to weddings and funerals in his latest Covid announcement, reports say

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Boris Johnson set for crunch data briefing ahead of decision over Covid rules

Weddings and funerals will be exempt from any new Covid restrictions if Boris Johnson decides to introduce tougher measures to tackle Omicron, according to reports.

Major life events will not be disrupted again if Britain is put into a two-week circuit-breaker, it is believed.

The Prime Minister is hoping to avoid a lockdown as he prepares to make a decision on whether to implement more rules before New Year’s Eve.

Mr Johnson is due to meet government scientists and advisers for a Covid update on Monday morning.

UK cases have risen to record highs due to the highly transmissible Omicron variant, with 122,186 Covid infections reported on Christmas Eve.

And the number of Covid patients in hospitals in England has surged by 62% in a week, according to the first NHS data released after Christmas.

Weddings and births are not expected to be impacted by possible new Covid measures
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The PM had repeatedly said he will not hesitate to act after Christmas if further measures are required to curb Omicron but further curbs are not expected at present.

Either way, significant events such as births and marriages and funerals will be excluded from the rules, according to The Times.

In Wales and Scotland, weddings and funerals are already continuing unaffected after stricter rules were introduced on Boxing Day.

People in England remain hopeful that the nation will not return to a full shutdown following ministers’ crunch meeting on Monday.

Mr Johnson’s cabinet will look at the latest Covid data on Monday
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Health experts believe Omicron is milder than other variants and the risk of hospitalisation is between 50 and 70 per cent lower than with Delta.

England’s chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty will be attending the meeting on Monday which will be held virtually.

Mr Johnson’s cabinet will analyse and discuss the latest Covid data in a bid to nail down their next move.

He is reportedly considering five options including a ban on household mixing, a curfew and Plan C.

Funerals will also be exempt from any new measures, it is believed
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Getty Images/iStockphoto)

If the statistics shared at Monday’s meeting appear somewhat optimistic, ministers may be call for no restrictions to be introduced for the time being.

Some scientists have long called for a circuit breaker lockdown, with Independent Sage saying it needed to be rolled out before Christmas for it to have any effect on curbing Omicron.

Meanwhile Chancellor Rishi Sunak, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng and Transport Secretary Grant Shapps spoke out against strict measures at the last Cabinet meeting.

The government announced a move to Plan B on December 8 meaning a return to working from home and compulsory face masks in public spaces.