London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Oct 02, 2025

Coronavirus: Nothing in current data to support new curbs in England - ministers

Coronavirus: Nothing in current data to support new curbs in England - ministers

But a senior doctor urges action to bring case numbers down as hospitals cope with staff absences.

Health minister Edward Argar appealed for "cool, calm heads", while colleague Steve Barclay said there had been "significant behaviour change" as a result of Plan B measures.

Daily Covid cases have been above 100,000 for each of the past 12 days.

Dr Chaand Nagpaul, council chairman of the British Medical Association, urged ministers to bring case numbers down.

On Sunday, England and Wales recorded 137, 583 daily cases and 73 deaths within 28 days of a positive Covid test. Data for Scotland and Northern Ireland is due to be updated after the bank holiday weekend.

The latest figures for England are down on the 162,572 new cases reported on Saturday, which had been a record number for the fifth day in a row.
NHS bosses have warned of mounting pressure on health workers against a backdrop of staff absences, rising hospital admissions, the implementation of the booster campaign and more planned treatments being carried out.

Speaking before the latest figures were published, Mr Argar insisted he saw nothing in current data to suggest further Covid measures were required.

"We need cool, calm heads," he told Times Radio, adding that introducing new curbs "must be the absolute last resort", echoing the health secretary's words on Saturday.

He said the data changes "day by day" and that ministers were keeping a close eye on it.

Asked whether more measures may be announced this week, Cabinet Office minister Mr Barclay said the government did not think the data supported such a move "at this stage", but said that it would be kept under review.

He said changes in behaviour, brought about by the Plan B measures introduced in December, combined with the booster programme were a key way to "avoid the need for further measures".

"The widespread use of testing is an illustration that the British public are taking sensible steps to keep themselves safe to keep their friends and family safe," he said.

The Plan B measures currently in place in England include mandatory face coverings in most indoor settings, Covid passports for entry to nightclubs and large events and advice to work from home where possible.

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have already imposed additional restrictions, with the closure of nightclubs, limits on live events and socialising with others as well as new rules for hospitality.

Secondary pupils returning to schools in England this week have been recommended to wear masks in classrooms - bringing England in line with the rest of the UK.

Ministers have also been tasked with developing "robust contingency plans" for Covid-related workplace absences. Public sector leaders have been asked to plan for a worst case scenario of up to 25% of staff absent at any one time.


But Dr Nagpaul said if 25% of healthcare staff were unable to go to work, this would have an impact on patients, services and care.

Speaking to BBC News, he urged the government to bring the infection rate down and to give medics better access to Covid testing and higher quality personal protective equipment (PPE).

The number of hospital admissions in England are at their highest level since January 2021, according to the latest figures, while NHS hospital staff absences due to Covid have nearly doubled in a month.

His comments come a day after Chris Hopson, chief executive of NHS Providers, which represents health trusts, said the next few days would be crucial in understanding the impact of Omicron on the NHS.

He said staff were working "flat out" and the NHS was now under "different, arguably more" pressure compared to last January.

The health secretary warned on Saturday that there would be a big increase in the number of people needing NHS care in the next month, which he said was "likely to test the limits" of NHS capacity more than a typical winter.

In Wales, people have been urged to avoid attending the emergency department at Swansea's Morriston Hospital owing to a "staff shortage worsened by Covid".

The breakdown of Sunday's figures was 123,547 new infections and 59 deaths in England, while Wales reported 14,036 new cases and 14 deaths.

Wales' figures cover the 24-hour period to 09:00 GMT on Friday with the next update covering the bank holiday weekend due to be published on Tuesday.

England's current restrictions are due to expire on 26 January, although a review is expected in the next few days.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Trump Administration Launches “TrumpRx” Plan to Enable Direct Drug Sales at Deep Discounts
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
FBI Removes Agents Who Kneeled at 2020 Protest, Citing Breach of Professional Conduct
Trump Alleges ‘Triple Sabotage’ at United Nations After Escalator and Teleprompter Failures
Shock in France: 5 Years in Prison for Former President Nicolas Sarkozy
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
BNP Paribas Abandons Ban on 'Controversial Weapons' Financing Amid Europe’s Defence Push
Typhoon Ragasa Leaves Trail of Destruction Across East Asia Before Making Landfall in China
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Big Banks Rebuild in Hong Kong as Deal Volume Surges
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Arnault Denounces Proposed Wealth Tax as Threat to French Economy
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Denmark Investigates Drone Incursion, Does Not Rule Out Russian Involvement
Lilly CEO Warns UK Is ‘Worst Country in Europe’ for Drug Prices, Pulls Back Investment
Nigel Farage Emerges as Central Force in British Politics with Reform UK Surge
Disney Reinstates ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ after Six-Day Suspension over Charlie Kirk Comments
U.S. Prosecutors Move to Break Up Google’s Advertising Monopoly
Nvidia Pledges Up to $100 Billion Investment in OpenAI to Power Massive AI Data Center Build-Out
U.S. Signals ‘Large and Forceful’ Support for Argentina Amid Market Turmoil
Nvidia and Abu Dhabi’s TII Launch First AI-&-Robotics Lab in the Middle East
Vietnam Faces Up to $25 Billion Export Loss as U.S. Tariffs Bite
Europe Signals Stronger Support for Taiwan at Major Taipei Defence Show
Indonesia Court Upholds Military Law Amid Concerns Over Expanded Civilian Role
Larry Ellison, Michael Dell and Rupert Murdoch Join Trump-Backed Bid to Take Over TikTok
Trump and Musk Reunite Publicly for First Time Since Fallout at Kirk Memorial
Vietnam Closes 86 Million Untouched Bank Accounts Over Biometric ID Rules
×