Millions of Britons are already taking precautionary measures to guard against catching Covid and having to self-isolate over the Christmas weekend as the omicron variant continues to sweep through the country, polling suggests.
A majority plan to self-police in the absence of tighter restrictions by using lateral flow tests before meeting others, keeping their distance when doing so and washing their hands more frequently, according to an Ipsos Mori poll.
The survey is published as debate continues to rage within the scientific community and government about whether harsher curbs than those set out in plan B are required to stop infections surging further and to prevent the NHS from becoming overwhelmed with patients.
Prime minister Boris Johnson has defied the advice of some Sage members and his cabinet to delay a decision on introducing new measures. He said current data did not justify a fresh lockdown.
New data on the severity of omicron is expected imminently.
YouGov’s poll, conducted between 16 and 18 December, suggests the public is waiting for ministers’ decisions to decide how they should behave in during the pandemic.
It said some 89 per cent of those surveyed plan to wear their face mask more while the same proportion are alreadyor will start sanitising or washing their hands more regularly.
Meahwhile, 81 per cent are keeping or plan to keep their distance while socialising, such as not hugging or shaking hands with people. Around the same proportion (80 per cent) have followed government guidance by already having or planing to have their booster jab.
Gideon Skinner, head of political research at Ipsos MORI, said public views on Covid rules are still “split”. “Few expect there to be a quick return to normality, and on the restrictions themselves as throughout the pandemic most people think they are about right or not strict enough – only a small minority (although a slightly increasing one) think they are too strict,” he said.
“But views are split – not quite half think the restrictions are not strict enough, and there is a clear age divide, with older people more in favour of tighter restrictions than the young.”
Some 67 per cent of people Ipsos Mori spoke to said they have or plan to test themselves with lateral flow tests more regularly while the same number are shopping online rather than in store in order to avoid catching the virus.
A majority of Britons are also taking matters into their own hands by avoiding public transport (58 per cent have done so or plan to), not attending social gatherings in friends or family’s houses and not going to pubs or restaurants (both 57 per cent).
Just under half (45 per cent) of workers say they are or are going to work from home instead of the office, while 47 per cent that they have not/plan not to attend their work Christmas party.
When asked to consider the restrictions currently in place to limit the spread of the coronavirus, just over four in ten say they are not strict enough (44 per cent) while 36 per cent say they are about right and another 16 per cent that they are too strict.
The British public’s decision to reduce social contact as omicron spreads has badly hit some businesses, particularly those in the hospitality and entertainment sectors, who have had Christmas bookings cancelled and takings slump due to reduced footfall in towns and cities across the country.
After coming under pressure from the MPs, lobbyists and the Labour Party Rishi Sunak, the chancellor, who is against against further lockdowns, announced on Tuesday a financial package for firms affected by the surge in cases.
He has offered a £1 billion support package to businesses hit by Covid restrictions amid concerns over the “eye-wateringly high” transmission of the omicron variant.
The package includes one-off grants of up to £6,000 per premises for businesses in the affected sectors in England, which the Treasury expects will be administered by local authorities and to be available in the coming weeks.
The government also intends to use taxpayers’ cash to cover the cost of statutory sick pay for Covid-related absences for firms with fewer than 250 employees. Cultural organisations in England can also access a further £30 million funding during the winter via the culture recovery fund, the Treasury said.
Shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves said Labour “will be going through the details” of the new measures and claimed that the government had been “dragged kicking and screaming” to announce them.
The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) welcomed the move but said that a “wider support package” could be needed if further restrictions are brought in in future.
“We are pleased that the chancellor heard our call for additional grant funding for hospitality and leisure businesses, which will provide some much-needed support in the face of this increasingly difficult trading period,” said BCC director general Shevaun Haviland.
“Clarity and speed will be needed to ensure that these grants are paid out swiftly to help these hard-pressed firms weather the next few weeks.
“Whilst these measures are a positive starting point, if restrictions persist or are tightened further, then we would need to see a wider support package, equal to the scale of any new measures, put in place.”
On Monday, a further 91,743 lab-confirmed Covid cases were recorded in the UK, and another 44 people had died within 28 days of testing positive for the disease.
