Downing Street press conference today: What will Sajid Javid say?

The Health Secretary will address the nation hours after Boris Johnson confirmed Plan B restrictions will be lifted in England.

The announcement came as the Prime Minister faced fresh calls to resign as Bury South MP Christian Wakeford defected to Labour.

The Downing Street press conference will start at 5PM and will be available to watch on all major channels including BBC and Sky News as well as being available to stream on social media.

Here is what he is likely to discuss.

Plan B restrictions

The Health Secretary will provide a further breakdown of new Covid rules with Plan B restrictions starting to lift from tomorrow.

During PMQs the Prime Minister said: "We resisted calls from others to shut down our country all over again.

"This government took a different path. We supported businesses that faced a reduce demand.

"The data is showing that time and again this Government got the tough decisions right.

"Cases are falling in England. Our scientists think it is likely the Omicron wave has now peaked nationally.

"Hospital admissions which were doubling every nine days have now stabilised, with admissions in places falling.

"This morning, the Cabinet decided that we can return to Plan A in England.

"As a result, mandatory certification will end. Organisations can choose to use in voluntarily, but it will not be compulsory.

"We are no longer asking people to work from home.

"The Cabinet concluded that once regulations lapse, the Government will no longer mandate the wearing of face maks anywhere.

"From tomorrow, we will no longer require face masks in classrooms."

Omicron turning point?

Mr Javid will provide an update on current coronavirus statistics with Omicron case numbers suggesting the variant has ‘peaked’ in the UK.

A total of 94,432 new cases of Covid-19 were reported on January 18, according to Government figures.

The highest number of new cases to be reported on a single day during the current wave was 218,724 on January 4.

But, between those two sets of figures, there has been a key change in UK policy, which means the data needs to be treated with caution.

From January 11, people in England who test positive on lateral flow tests no longer need to get a follow up lab test – also known as a PCR test – to confirm the result.

This means some people will have taken the at-home test and may not have reported the result.

Experts have always cautioned that case numbers don’t make up the whole picture, with hospital admission figures also key.

Sajid Javid to provide reassurance over lifting Covid restrictions

The Health Secretary will likely move to provide reassurance to those nervous over the liftin of Covid restrictions.

It comes after the Prime Minister pointed to comments made earlier this week by Dr David Nabarro, a special envoy of the World Health Organisation, that the UK can see light at the end of the tunnel.

“Confronted by the nation’s biggest challenge since the Second World War, and the worst pandemic since 1918, any government would get some things wrong – but this Government got the big things right,” he said.

The Royal College of Nursing said, however, that dropping Plan B would do “nothing to ease the pressure on the NHS”.

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