The prime minister and his cabinet ministers are said to have received a downbeat assessment from England’s chief medical officer, Professor Chris Whitty, and chief scientific adviser, Sir Patrick Vallance, on the current coronavirus situation on Tuesday.
The sources told Sky News the prime minister is worried that, if he doesn’t act now, he could regret not taking tougher action in a month’s time.
Under the government’s Plan B for dealing with winter pressures in the NHS, which it detailed in September, ministers said that contingency measures to deal with COVID-19 would include a strengthening of government messaging, the possible introduction of COVID vaccine passports in some settings, mandatory face mask wearing, and a return to work from home guidance.
Mr Johnson has already reintroduced mandatory face mask wearing on public transport and in shops, as well as other settings in England, since the discovery of the Omicron variant.
Read More: Boris Johnson minded to move to Plan B of rules this week, Sky News understands
