Boris Johnson is set to hold a Downing Street Covid briefing on Tuesday amid concerns over the spread of the omicron variant.
The address, due to take place at 4pm, comes after the government introduced new measures to tackle the spread of omicron, which was first detected in the country over the weekend.
He is expected to speak on new compulsory face mask rules, which took effect at 4am today, and the extension of the vaccine booster programme.
The new variant has more than 30 mutations and scientists are concerned that the vaccines, which were designed using the original strain, may not be as effective. The prime minister will urge the public to get the booster vaccine now that the rollout has been extended to all over-18s.
Mr Johnson is also expected to discuss the new travel rules imposed on arrivals into the UK. All travelers returning to the UK must now take a day 2 PCR test and isolate until they receive a negative result.
In a statement released overnight by No10, the prime minister said: “The measures taking effect today are proportionate and responsible, and will buy us time in the face of this new variant.
“Based on everything we know, our vaccines and boosters remain our best line of defence, so it is more important than ever that people come forward when eligible to get boosted.
“Not only will today’s steps help us slow down the variant’s spread, but they will help us protect each other and the gains we have all worked so hard for.”
