Christmas work from home order being drawn up by Government

New work from home plans are being drawn up by the Government as Boris Johnson considers tougher measures to slow the spread of the omicron variant.

Officials working on Covid policy have carried out modelling on the economic impact of urging people to work from home over the Christmas and New Year period, The Telegraph understands.

Vaccine passports could also be introduced, prompting a Cabinet split on Tuesday over whether to adopt them.

The restrictions are being considered after Mr Johnson told ministers there were "early indications" that omicron was spreading quicker than delta, the variant currently dominant in the UK.

Amid the growing concerns, booster jab bookings will today open for seven million people aged 40 and over, with the wait after second doses cut from six months to three.

Britain has the highest number of confirmed omicron infections in Europe at 440, and experts warned that its true number of cases could be as high as 2,500.

However, doctors from Norway – which has seen the biggest single Omicron outbreak outside South Africa – said on Tuesday that only mild symptoms had been seen. In the US, Anthony Fauci, Joe Biden's chief medical adviser, said evidence so far suggested that omicron might be "less severe" than delta.

Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, also sought to play down concerns by likening the new variant to a "live vaccine".

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The Cabinet on Tuesday discussed further restrictions, with ministers understood to be split over whether to mandate vaccine passports. Michael Gove, the Communities Secretary, and Nadine Dorries, the Culture Secretary, are both believed to have backed the move, but others around the table resisted.

Nicola Sturgeon, the Scottish First Minister, on Tuesday urged companies to tell employees to work from home if possible until mid-January – the same rough timeline being considered by the UK Government.

No decisions have yet been taken on whether to enact any of the tougher measures, and Downing Street still sees scaling up the rollout of booster jabs as the best protection from omicron.

On Wednesday, new efforts will be announced to speed up the campaign and encourage those yet to sign up for a top-up dose to change their minds.

It will include the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall confirming they have taken their third Covid vaccine dose and urging "all those who have not yet had the vaccine – or are hesitating before getting a booster" to come forward.

Cabinet ministers have been startled by the speed of omicron's spread after being updated by the Prime Minister. Behind the scenes in Whitehall, officials – led by the Covid Taskforce group in the Cabinet Office – are working up options for tighter Covid rules.

In some areas, however, businesses have already moved to take extra precautions. Care homes have begun banning Christmas visits despite government guidance, with one MP revealing that a terminally ill resident cannot see her children because Covid testing "would be too time-consuming". Ministers have told providers to allow visits.

Some private companies have also already started to advise staff to work from home.

Mr Johnson has previously said a review of the current rules will be held late next week, when more will be known about whether omicron can cut through Covid vaccines.

Preliminary data from South Africa has shown that people who have antibodies and protection against Covid are far less protected against omicron.

A pre-print, published online, revealed that those previously infected with the original Wuhan strain produce 41 times fewer neutralising molecules when exposed to omicron. The findings show omicron – as feared – is much better at dodging protection from prior infection and vaccines than previous variants including beta and delta.

However, it failed to completely evade the protection, and the researchers believe vaccination and boosters are "likely to increase the neutralisation level and likely confer protection from severe disease in omicron infection".

The option of urging people in England to work from home again is named in the Government's "Plan B" for countering Covid during the autumn and winter. Modelling of the financial impact of work from home guidance over Christmas and into the middle of January has been conducted.

The move could allow ministers to take a step to reduce the spread of Covid while not impacting the economy significantly – given that some people will be on breaks – or stopping people meeting loved ones.

Decisions by Mr Johnson on work from home guidance would apply in England, but devolved administrations would make a choice on workers in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Cabinet split over vaccine passports

Covid certification is a second change being considered more seriously within government and would mean people having to provide proof of a vaccine before entering venues with large crowds.

The issue has been hotly debated all year, with ministers first investigating it as an option, then ruling it out, then threatening it unless more people were jabbed and finally leaving it as a back-up option.

Half a dozen government sources described Tuesday's discussions about the topic to The Telegraph. Mr Gove, who played a key role in shaping Covid policy while in the Cabinet Office, was said to be the biggest supporter. Ms Dorries – who represents many industries that would have to implement vaccine checks if they were brought in – also spoke out in favour.

Grant Shapps, the Transport Secretary, and Alister Jack, the Scottish Secretary, were both cautious about the idea and understood to have made comments to that effect. Mr Shapps expressed concern about the impact on the transport industry – the same criticism expressed by prominent Tory backbenchers in recent days.

Sajid Javid, the Health Secretary, is understood not to have voiced his views. A former chancellor, he has at various points throughout the pandemic warned about the economic impact of lockdown measures.

Stephen Barclay, who became the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster in September having served for years in the Treasury, is now playing a key role in policy planning and is also said to be mindful of the financial impact.

Mr Johnson will ultimately make the decision on whether any new measures will be adopted.

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