UK finance minister resisting new Covid-19 curbs before Christmas: Report
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Pedestrians walk past shops in Covent Garde in London on Dec 18, 2021.
PHOTO: AFP
LONDON (REUTERS) - Finance Minister Rishi Sunak is one of 10 British Cabinet ministers who are resisting the introduction of new restrictions before Christmas to curb the spread of the Omicron coronavirus variant by casting doubts on the accuracy of official modelling, the Times reported.
The British government's chief scientific adviser Patrick Vallance told ministers at the weekend that new restrictions should be introduced as soon as possible to stop the National Health Service being overwhelmed, the newspaper said.
The Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies said that if no action is taken, about 3,000 patients could need a hospital bed each day, but about one-third of the Cabinet were resisting the imposition of new restrictions and questioning the accuracy of the study, the report added.
Mr Sunak wanted to wait until the information was clearer and had suggested looking at more models before making any decision.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson was also reluctant to implement more curbs and believed that people were self-policing and getting their vaccine booster shots in large numbers, the Times reported, citing an ally.
