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NEW YEAR’S PARTIES were given the green light in England as ministers announced there will be no new coronavirus restrictions imposed before the end of 2021.
In a move welcomed by hospitality bosses, Health Secretary Sajid Javid announced there will be no curbs on social mixing beyond the current Plan B measures.
But the Cabinet minister, in a move that appeared to be echoed by the Prime Minister Boris Johnson, left the door open for fresh measures to be potentially introduced in January.
Johnson tweeted on Monday there would be “no new restrictions introduced in England before the New Year”.
It came after Javid urged people to “remain cautious” during celebrations to mark the arrival of 2022, recommending partygoers take a test and stay outside where possible to minimise the risk of infection.
“Please remain cautious and when we get into the new year, of course, we will see then whether we do need to take any further measures, but nothing more until then, at least,” added the Health Secretary.
With pubs, bars and restaurants hard hit in the run-up to Christmas due to mass cancellations over Omicron variant fears, UK Hospitality chief executive Kate Nicholls said the decision to not go beyond Plan B measures in England presented a “lifeline” for the sector.
Mark Davyd, CEO of Music Venue Trust, told the PA news agency there would “obviously be some relief” among hospitality bosses but called for help to improve ventilation in venues along with “more clarity” on the Government’s long-term vision.
The decision on restrictions, which came after Johnson had been briefed on the latest Covid data by chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty and chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance, means nightclubs can remain open for Friday’s partying and there will be no limits on numbers in pubs.
Covid passes will be mandatory for large events, however, as per Plan B rules, which also includes work from home guidance and increased mask wearing in public places.
Conservative MPs who recently inflicted the largest rebellion of his premiership on Johnson over the introduction of Covid passes were among those to welcome Monday’s announcement.
Former minister Mark Francois told GB News: “It is remarkable how a backbench rebellion of 101 MPs focuses minds, isn’t it?
“Let’s not be churlish, this is the right decision. At some point we have to trust people to exercise their nous and I believe that is the essence of the decision.”
The lack of new measures puts England out of kilter with the rest of the UK, with those in Wales and Scotland living with curbs on hospitality including the closure of nightclubs.
Hospital admissions
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, speaking after Scottish government provisional data showed the Christmas period had seen the highest number of Covid-19 cases north of the border since the start of the pandemic, urged people to limit socialising in person “as much as possible”.
UK Government data also showed that a record was set in England on Christmas day in terms of recorded cases, with 113,628 infections reported on 25 December.
NHS England declared there were 1,281 Covid-19 hospital admissions in the country on Christmas Day – up 74% week-on-week and the highest number since 16 February.
It remains well below the second wave of the coronavirus peak, when admissions topped off at 4,134 on 12 January.
A total of 8,474 people were in hospital in England with Covid-19 as of 8am on 27 December – the highest number since 5 March.
But that too is far lower than the last winter peak of 34,336 Covid patients in hospital, which occurred on 18 January, with hopes growing Omicron will prove to be milder than previous virus variants.
Chris Hopson, chief executive of NHS Providers, which represents NHS trusts in England, said there had been a growing number of Covid hospital admissions but “not precipitately so”.
Trusts are not reporting large numbers of patients arriving with Covid-type breathing problems like last January, Hopson added.
But he warned that a high number of staff absences in the NHS – with Omicron-enforced isolation seen as a major cause – are creating such pressures that “even relatively small numbers of extra Covid cases may bring difficult decisions”.
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Oh well that’s ok then. As long as their happy eh.
20% equity isn’t so terrible an idea.
Its been scuppered by the government anyway so is moot.
Charlie Weston wont like this.
Well it is good anyway as reform of the rental market is an absolute overdue necessity in this country. The increases in rent by some landlords are crazy. The more pressure the government come under to reform this area, the better.
“It also says that reform of the rental market, including mortgage to rent conversions for borrowers in arrears, focused building of rental homes and using ghost estates and vacant units.”
@business cat. I agree. 20% is a good idea. I’m not sure the CB will lie down on this. The consultation period is now over and an answer is imminent. If the CB falls to outside(banking, auctioneer, developer/legal sKumB) pressure on this, then as you say, not only is the point moot, the CB is and should be disbanded and re-elected by proxy of the people/business/non-politically affiliated professional bodies. NOT EU based ‘experts’, NOT present or ex-bankers, NOT ex-Goldman Sachs/Matheson/Cox/Goodbody stooges! Please. Please. Please. For our children..
20% For a bankrupt people?
And Randle what if the Central Bank sets 10% or 15% as the initial rate with the 20% rate being introduced in a few years?
Is that bowing to pressure from the government and international bankers or is it listening and reaching a compromise on proposed new rules which many citizens objected to?
20% is too high.. 10% is manageable.
@Ryan. Your point is valid. Of course it would make things easier for our children to have lower thresholds to the market. However, 20%, I believe, if actioned now, halts the next bubble, and hence, hopefully leaves property more ‘affordable’ for people in the mid to long-term imo.
20% is probably modest. It needs to be about 28%. Even then, it’s possible that upward pressure will drive it up to 30%, given the real estate bubble. Rent controls are needed to prevent a real estate bubble.
International mobsters fund would be a more appropriate title.
It’s just such a typically irish thing to do. Always going from one extreme to another. They used to hand mortgages out like hot cakes and now it’s essentially impossible for a lot of people to get one.
Yet them handing them out like hotcakes cost us €64bn. An expensive burn…
isn’t that because a real estate bubble is brewing once again?
IMF,,,, interfering manipulating f**kers,
It is a pity they didn’t interfere more. Despite the Troika constantly calling for reform in the legal services area, the Legal Services Reform Bill is still delayed and likely to be scrapped due to the lobbying efforts of the bar. This consequently drives up legal costs for every legal services customer in this country – including for the biggest customer of all, the Irish State. Not that the barristers and solicitors mind of course…
IMF – International Maggot Foundation. Thanks for yer opinion lads now jog on.
The article headline is as coherent as the comments that have been made so far.
IMF support idea to quell overheating property market…
Comments….
“IMF said something!
I’m angry & I don’t know why”
The same idiot commentators that complain about mistakes in the past shout down a commonsense idea to help stop a repeat.
There are loads of other ideas …
1. First time buyers could have been given property out of NAMA – no off limits !
2. Tax the living bejaysus out of those who buy a second or third property and thus give an advantage to first -time buyers !
Of course they are! A few nights in the Shelbourne, good food, good wine, good entertainment. If they had to try and rent never mind purchase a house in Dublin in this economic climate being taxed to death I dare say they would be no fans!
Cormac if a large percentage of people struggle to now get a mortgage then that should help slow or reverse the upwards spiral of prices. As we hopefully learned giving bigger mortgages is not the answer
Bring back
120%,
40 year,
Interest Only,
Low introductory Rate,
10xTimes Income,
Self Cert,
Mortgages
And Bring back
The First Time Buyers Grant,
Tax Relief on Mortgage Interest,
Section 23,50…. Tax Breaks,
Vat Rebates On Investment Properties,
Loose Planning,
Loose Home Improvement Loans
Credit Cards With 0% Introductory Rates and €50K Limits,
Incentivised Bonus Driven Loose Lending and Non Existant Underwriting,
And .5% over ECB Tracker Mortgages,
With Some 0% Interest Free Credit On Furniture and Appliances,
And Don’t Forget The Mortgage Brokers.
“Just a little something for this property hangover eh”???
Those are great ideas – no way anything could go wrong !
E:
Not gonna happen. Those that forget the mistakes of the past are doomed to repeat them.
Of course they are. They’re like the mean aunt in a family that’s happy with their nephew not getting the bike he wanted for Xmas.
Internal Manipulation Finger
Central Bank naive in “Loan To Value” recommendation. “Loan to Cost” should be the “Regulator” benchmark for lending for property.
——————————————————————————————————————-
Mortar invented in 1824 by Joseph Aspdin : Sand, Cement and Water …. no Platinum in it!
The IMF stepped in to tell Ireland what to do and then after a year or so found out that the cost of goods here were unbelievably high. Meaning in other words they did not do their homework first on Ireland before telling us what to do?
So who is to say that they didn’t do their homework again with that statement?
Why are they telling us what to do.. They are part of the swarm of leeches sucking the life blood of Ireland and they need to be burned off
Where are young married couples going to get €50,000 to buy a house for €200,000?
ECB is not living in the real world!
“Balance the books no matter who you hurt” !! That’s their policy.
Politicians are earning huge salaries and getting pensions funded by the taxpayers!
The electors will give their answer at the next election!
Fianna Fáil do not want to go into Government !! ,
Quite simple Dermot. The house price will drop to what they can afford. The cash buyers have finally died out and the market stalled last summer because FTB’s got locked out of the market. There’s another dip on the way. Smart sellers got out last year.
@ryan ash. How long will that take? 3-4 years to implement. Still won’t solve housing shortage in Dublin.
price controls will.
@ Tom Kenny. Tom nothing personal point of view understood. But when rent becomes more expensive than mortgage repayments and limits the borrower to save for a deposit in the first place with the rental market only spiralling upwards and new developments nearly non existent with workers on the dole. There’s a problem the IMF doesn’t care about or want to know about.
But the thing is Cormac that the IMF is actually calling for reform of the Irish rental market.
have your say