Continue with your Christmas plans despite omicron variant, health minister says

Health minister Gillian Keegan has told BBC Breakfast that people should continue with their Christmas plans despite the presence of the new omicron variant in the UK, but urged people to “be cautious” and only “do what you feel comfortable doing”.

Keegan made the comments as it was confirmed there are now nine cases of the new strain of Covid that scientists fear may be more transmissible than previous strains and could make it more effective at evading the body’s immune response.

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