Sajid Javid has urged people to take Covid tests before going to Christmas parties this year, amid fears that surging cases could spark a winter crisis so serious that restrictions would have to be reimposed.
At a Downing Street press conference tonight, the Health Secretary said 'it's really important that people take a lateral flow test' if they go to festive parties with elderly or clinically vulnerable people present.
His colleague Kwasi Kwarteng, the Business Secretary, had earlier downplayed fears of a return to lockdown this winter by insisting that people should 'absolutely' put down deposits for Christmas parties.
'The other big thing everyone can do more of is to take advantage of that offer of a free lateral flow test,' Mr Javid said.
'Because where we've seen that people are, if they're going to a party perhaps that has relatives there that are elderly there or grandparents, someone who's immunocompromised, then it's really important that you take a lateral flow test.
'That makes that party or what you're doing - you can still go ahead with it - but it makes that a lot safer.'
Anyone over the age of 11 can access a free lateral flow test kit, which are designed for people without coronavirus symptoms who have not been told to self-isolate. A maximum of two kits, which contain seven tests each, can be collected from some pharmacies, community centres and libraries, or ordered for home delivery via the Government website.
Mr Javid also advised people to take rapid tests 'as part of your weekly routine', adding that one quarter of recent positive cases have come from lateral flow tests taken by asymptomatic people as a precaution.
Downing Street is currently resisting NHS demands for a return of curbs including mandatory facemasks and WFH guidance amid surging infections and a sluggish booster vaccine programme.
Asked on Times Radio whether it was wise to pay money towards a party, Mr Kwarteng said: 'Absolutely. I think I already have, we've got some arrangements in place and I look forward to having a Christmas party as usual.'
Health Secretary Sajid Javid speaks during a media briefing in Downing Street
Kwasi Kwarteng today insisted people should 'absolutely' book office Christmas parties despite rising fears coronavirus restrictions could be reintroduced
Downing Street said Boris Johnson does not want to return to 'imposing diktats on people'. (Stock image of a Christmas party)
Asked if Mr Johnson agreed with the Business Secretary, the Prime Minister's Official Spokesman said: 'We have said that we don't want to be imposing diktats on people.'
Mr Kwarteng said this morning that he would 'rule out' another national lockdown being imposed.
The Business Secretary was asked on Sky News about some experts saying a further shutdown could not be discounted.
He replied: 'No, I would rule that out. Throughout this process, there've been people saying the lockdown was unnecessary, there have been other people saying we should continue the lockdown. We've really plotted a path between those two extremes.'
At the first Covid press conference at Downing Street in a month, the Health Secretary said that ministers would not reintroduce face masks and WFH guidance 'at this point'.
Mr Javid said that while the NHS was seeing 'greater pressure', he was confident the pressure was not 'unsustainable'. He said ministers would 'stay vigilant' because cases could still rise to 100,000 a day this winter.
The decision by the Government to hold its nerve on restrictions will anger NHS leaders who claim hospitals are already buckling under the weight of Covid, flu and backlogs caused by the pandemic.
Mr Javid used the press conference to urge Britons to come forward for their booster jabs in a bid to speed up the sluggish vaccine campaign - which has only seen a quarter of care home residents revaccinated.
He said that the country was still ahead in the race against the virus thanks to the initial Covid vaccination effort, but claimed that waning immunity meant that lead was 'narrowing'.
Pleading with the country to get their booster, Mr Javid added that not only would a booster save lives, it would also 'protect our freedoms'. 'Boosters could not be more important,' he said.
Asked if people face a tightening of restrictions if they do not get boosters or take care indoors, Mr Javid said: 'Am I saying that if we don't do our bit, get vaccinated, all those behavioural changes that we can make, that we are more likely to face restrictions as we head into winter…? Then I am saying that.
'I think we've been really clear that we've all got a role to play.
Daily infections are currently on the brink of passing the 50,000 milestone for the first time in months. Department of Health bosses today recorded 49,139 positive tests, up 15 per cent on the previous week.
Meanwhile, hospital admissions rose by 15.3 per cent week-on-week to 869, while deaths jumped by nearly a third to 179. Both measures lag behind case numbers by a few weeks, due to the time it takes for someone to become seriously unwell after catching the virus.
The Government yesterday said a further 223 people had died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19 - bringing the UK total to 138,852.
While the numbers are often higher on Tuesdays because of a lag in reporting deaths and cases over the weekend, that was the highest figure for daily reported deaths since March 9.
Meanwhile, the seven-day average for cases is standing at 44,145 infections per day - the highest level for almost three months.
Mr Javid also announced the UK has bought hundreds of thousands of 'game-changing' pills that can be used to treat Britons with Covid at home this winter.
The UK has bought 480,000 antiviral molnupiravir pills made by US pharmaceutical company Merck and 250,000 PF-073 courses from Pfizer. They still need to be approved by the UK's medical regulator before Britons can get their hands on the drugs.
The above maps show the proportion of Covid cases that were the Delta sub-variant AY.4.2 in the fortnight to June 26 (left) and the fortnight to July 31 (right). Darker colours indicate that more cases of the sub-variant had been detected
The above maps show the proportion of cases that were AY.4.2 in the fortnight to September 25 (left) and October 9 (right). The darker colours indicate that a higher proportion of infections were down to this sub-variant.
Experts fear the growing outbreak may have been exacerbated by an even more infectious offshoot of Delta called AY4.2. The proportion of cases made up by the sub-strain have doubled in a month, official figures show.
In his first ever Downing Street press conference, Mr Javid said the UK was seeing 'greater pressure' on the NHS but the Government will 'do what it takes to make sure that this pressure doesn't become unsustainable, and that we don't allow the NHS to become overwhelmed.'
Deaths 'remain mercifully low' at the moment, he said, but added: 'We've always known that the winter months would pose the greatest threat to our road to recovery.'
He added: 'Thanks to the vaccination programme, the link between hospitalisations and deaths has significantly weakened, but it's not broken.
'So we must all remember that this virus will be with us for the long term and remains a threat to our loved ones, and a threat to the progress that we've made in getting our nation closer to normal life.'
Mr Javid urged people to have their vaccines, including Covid boosters and jabs for flu, and said: 'If we all play our part, then we can give ourselves the best possible chance in this race, get through this winter, and enjoy Christmas with our loved ones.'
Tonight was the first Covid press conference since September 14, highlighting the escalating fears about the winter crisis.
Mr Javid told the Downing Street press conference the Government was concerned about the number of cases, but that vaccines were 'clearly working' when it came to hospital admissions and deaths.
Asked about unsustainable pressure on the health service, he said: 'We don't believe that the pressures that are currently faced by the NHS are unsustainable.
'Don't get me wrong, there are huge pressures especially in A&E, in primary care, for example, as well, but at this point we don't believe they are unsustainable.
'If we feel at any point it's becoming unsustainable then the department, together with our friends in the NHS, we won't hesitate to act.'
Mr Javid reiterated that the Government will not be implementing its Plan B strategy 'at this point'.
He added: 'We'll be staying vigilant, preparing for all eventualities while strengthening our vital defences that can help us fight back against this virus.'
Praising deals for new two antiviral treatments that can cut the risk of death for the most vulnerable as 'great news', he said: 'But we cannot be complacent when Covid-19 remains such a potent threat.'
The Health Secretary said England had reached a 'milestone' of four million top-up jabs on Wednesday, adding: 'None of us want to go backwards now.
'So we must all play our part in this national mission, and think about what we can do to make a difference. That means getting the jab when the time comes, whether it's for Covid-19 or flu.'
He stressed that, aside from vaccinations, people can take other - now voluntary - measures such as meeting outdoors where possible, ensuring good ventilation, wearing masks in crowded spaces and taking lateral flow tests.
He said: 'With winter soon upon us, these little steps make a big difference. And they're more important now than they have ever been.'
Dr Jenny Harries, the chief executive of the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), said the UK is going into winter with a 'really high level' of cases.
'What we can see is that the cases now are almost as high as they were in July and actually not far off where they were last winter,' she said.
'What we are not seeing is that dip down again at the other side of the peak and that is really important because we are kicking off the winter at a really high level of cases.
'Fortunately that is not currently working through into serious disease and deaths.'
However, she later said the last two days have seen the highest death rates for some time, adding that the number of deaths are 'moving in the
