PM refuses to rule out Christmas lockdown and we all know how this ends

Deja vu anyone?

Boris Johnson has once again refused to rule out the possibility of extra measures being introduced this winter due to rising Covid cases. In a briefing at Downing Street on Monday, the Prime Minister spoke about rumours that tighter measures would be put in place across the country in the lead up to Christmas and the colder winter months ahead. Although he said that he "doesn't see anything in the current data" to suggest that the country needs to go to 'Plan B', he added that the government "clearly cannot rule anything out". When asked by the BBC's Fergus Walsh about the possibility of further restrictions or even a Christmas lockdown, Johnson explained that the government "don't see anything in the current data that leads us to think that we need to go to Plan B, which is several steps short of a lockdown but nonetheless would require further restrictions. "We don't see anything in the data that says we have to go now to Plan B, but clearly we cannot rule anything out." The PM continued: "The most important thing people can do to prevent further NPI’s (Non-Pharmaceutical Interventions), further restrictions, is to get the boosters. "It’s going well, the numbers are climbing, 12.6 million is a huge number to have hit. The GPs are hitting it out of the park again, they’re doing an amazing job and they’re getting loads of jabs into loads of arms. We’re now at 75% for the over 70’s, more for the over 75-79 group and over 80’s." https://twitter.com/BBCPolitics/status/1460267698894606340?s=20 Johnson said that the rate of vaccinations is "starting to build a lot of momentum" and encouraged those in the over 50s and over 60s groups to also get their booster as they can "also wind up in hospital very, very easily." Related links:

• Austria announces lockdown for millions of unvaccinated in fight against covid
• Singapore to charge covid patients who are ‘unvaccinated by choice’
• Covid booster jabs to be offered to over 40s amid fears of winter surge
• PM urges public to wear face masks, forgets he ignored plea at hospital last week

This comes on the same day that the government's official vaccine advisors said that all over 40s should be offered a third dose of a Covid vaccine. They also said that 16 and 17-year-olds should be offered a second jab. The PM said that so far three-quarters of over 70s have had a booster jab but "that further 25 percent which will make all the difference to the winter, to Christmas, to out plans going forward." On Monday, the UK recorded 47 news Covid-19 related deaths and 39,705 new cases.