Ministers ‘confident’ NO more Covid curbs needed in England, but Scots face ‘fun-ban’ until SPRING

Ministers have declared there is ‘nothing’ in the data to suggest that further Covid restrictions will be needed in England despite the recent surge in cases. 

Edward Argar, a minister at the Department of Health and Social Care, said he was ‘seeing nothing at the moment in the data right in front of me in the immediate situation that suggests a need for further restrictions’.

‘We need cool, calm heads,’ Argar said in an interview with Times Radio. ‘We need to look at the data and we need to do everything possible to avoid any restrictions.’ 

Meanwhile, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Steve Barclay said that an uptake in testing showed that ‘the British public are taking sensible steps to keep themselves safe’.

‘We’ve seen significant behaviour change as a result of Plan B. That’s why there has been such a demand for testing in recent weeks,’ he said.

‘That, combined with the booster programme, is the key way as a country that we will avoid the need for further measures.’ 

The ministers’ comments come as Britain’s Covid-19 infections increased by almost 15 per cent in the space of a week, but latest figures show the number of deaths have decreased by 23 per cent.

Conversely, Scotland’s national clinical director has said that the country’s ban on large public gatherings amid high Covid cases could last well into the spring, prompting concerns it could be a final blow to hospitality firms.

Pub, restaurant and nightclub bosses believe firms in Edinburgh missed out on around £20 million on Hogmanay due to coronavirus measures, but Professor Jason Leitch dismissed calls for the famous New Year street party to be rescheduled to April, saying it would be too soon for mass events. 

His comments come as hospitality firms continue to struggle under Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon’s restrictions, which mean pubs and restaurants must have table service only and one metre social distancing between groups. 

Night clubs were closed on December 27 for at least three weeks, and officials have been warned that some hospitality businesses currently closed will not reopen due to the impact of Sturgeon’s tough restrictions in recent weeks.   

Pub, restaurant and nightclub bosses believe firms in Edinburgh missed out on around £20 million on Hogmanay due to coronavirus measures. But national clinical director Jason Leitch (L) dismissed calls for the famous New Year street party to be rescheduled to April, meaning restrictions brought in by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon (R) are likely to last until spring.

Department of Health data has revealed a further 137,583 Covid cases in its daily update which marks an increase of 17,660 on the figures given for Boxing Day, while figures on New Year’s Day showed a 33.4 per cent week-on-week increase in new cases.

This is the twelfth day in a row that cases have been above the 100,000 mark as the country moves out of the festive season, while in recent days the week-on-week increase in new cases has been as high as 72.5% (Dec. 29).

The Government advised that the data provided could be incomplete due to inconsistency in reporting over the holiday period, with today’s Covid figures for Scotland not available. Hospitalisation data is also not updated on Sundays. 

It comes as official figures revealed nearly one in 10 NHS workers were off sick over New Year’s Eve as coronavirus continued to hit the health service. 

Meanwhile, secondary school pupils will be told to wear face masks from the moment they arrive until they leave when they return to classrooms this week.

In an effort to protect the education of millions of youngsters amid a sharp rise in cases of the Omicron variant, Ministers have requested that pupils cover their faces all day – including while they are being taught. They are already asked to wear masks in communal areas.

Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi last night said he and Boris Johnson saw schools as their ‘No 1 priority’, adding that they wanted to ‘do everything in our power to minimise disruption’. 

Teachers and pupils will have to wear masks when they return to class next week under new guidance issued by government 

Scotland is set to face months more of strict Covid measures under First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.

The likelihood of Scots facing an extended ‘fun-ban’ increased when national clinical director, Professor Jason Leitch, said that a planned rescheduling of Edinburgh’s Hogmanay New Year’s party to April ‘might be slightly too early’.

He said: ‘I like an Edinburgh night-out like any other person. Whether we can bring that forward to April, the jury is still out.

‘We are hopeful. We have now got data from South Africa, from University College London, from Denmark and, crucially, Edinburgh that suggests serious disease is certainly less with this variant, maybe as much as three-quarters less. But let’s put that in perspective – 2,500 Delta cases [per day] gets you 50 people in hospital.

‘You need 10,000 Omicron cases for the same number of admissions and Scotland is at 15,000. Omicron is encouraging compared to Delta, but Delta was a very low bar.’

Gavin Stevenson, vice-chairman of the Night Time Industries Association in Scotland, claimed there had been an 80 per cent drop in footfall on Hogmanay, which may have cost the sector £20million.

He told the Sunday Mail: ‘Hogmanay has been pretty disastrous for the licensed trade. I would estimate that the hospitality sector has lost tens of millions of pounds on Hogmanay night alone.

‘It could be a final nail in the coffin for small businesses.’

It comes after a horde of police officers descended on a Glaswegian pub on New Year’s Eve to break up a socially-distanced gathering after they reportedly saw ‘dancing’. 

Onlookers booed and shouted ‘shame’ as around 25 officers stormed the Avant Garde gastropub in Glasgow and arrested two revellers during the raid on the venue which was hosting a socially-distanced and ticketed New Year’s Eve party.

Bar owner Billy Tetmichalis, 63, who plans to make a formal complaint against the police, says he was told he had to close because customers were not following Covid regulations. 

However, Police Scotland said the visit was part of a ‘routine visit’ and not to enforce Covid restrictions.

Police officers tackled a man in a Glasgow bar, put him in a headlock and arrested him as he went to retrieve his coat after they arrived to break up a New Year’s Eve party in the city centre

They told MailOnline the owner was unable to produce proof it was complying with licensing conditions and was subject to enforcement action.  

Mr Tetmichalis told MailOnline officers entered his bar, in King’s Street, Glasgow, because they saw a few people ‘dancing’ and getting served at the bar. 

‘We had complied with all the measures. We were doing table service but some folk got off their seats to approach the bar and we didn’t stop them because everyone was safe.

‘This venue has a capacity for 306 people and we stopped selling tickets at 80 in order to give them enough space – everyone was well-spaced.

‘Some people came to the bar and we didn’t stop them – if that makes us at fault, so be it.’

Miss Sturgeon is expected to update the Scottish Parliament on the restrictions on Wednesday.

Scottish Labour health spokesman Jackie Baillie said: ‘Every restriction means lost revenue for businesses that were already fighting for survival.

‘The Scottish Government must ensure that all those eligible for support receive it.’

Witnesses said six police vans and around 25 officers flooded into the Avant Garde gastropub in Glasgow , Scotland, on New Year’s Eve because they saw people dancing at the venue.

Bar owner Billy Tetmichalis, 63, who plans to make a formal complaint against the police, says he was told he had to close because customers were not following Covid regulations.

Mr Tetmichalis told MailOnline officers entered his bar, in King’s Street, Glasgow, because they saw a few people ‘dancing’ and getting served at the bar. ‘We had complied with all the measures. We were doing table service but some folk got off their seats to approach the bar and we didn’t stop them because everyone was safe.