Football fans have been advised not to attend matches in stadiums and to “prioritise” social events “that really matter to them” in the run-up to Christmas.
In the light of the sharp rise in COVID-19 cases, and the emergence of the new Omicron variant, the statement around the prioritisation of socialising was made by yesterday evening during a televised Downing Street news conference hosted by Prime Minister Boris Johnson, alongside Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty, and Dr Nikki Kanani – Medical Director of Primary Care for NHS England.
Although the Prime Minister insisted that this Christmas would still be “considerably better” than the last, he told people to “think carefully” before attending social events over the next few weeks and to limit their contacts with the big day right around the corner.
Professor Chris Whitty then went even further than the Prime Minister, however, and urged the public not to “mix with people you don’t have to”.
He warned that more COVID records would be broken as the Omicron variant surges.
ADVERTISEMENT
The news conference was held on the day that the UK recorded 78,610 new COVID cases in a 24-hour period, which broke the record for the highest daily number reported since the start of the pandemic.
"We're not cancelling people's parties or their ability to mix, what we are saying is, think carefully before you go."
Boris Johnson says he sticks by his comments that 'this Christmas will be considerably better than last Christmas'.
The government outlined the set of measures as part of its Autumn and Winter COVID plan that would be brought in “if the data suggests the NHS is likely to come under unsustainable pressure”.
The reintroduction of a legal requirement to wear face masks in “most public indoor venues”, including theatres and cinemas – with exceptions “where it’s not practical, including while eating, drinking, exercising or singing”.
NHS COVID passes for nightclubs, unseated indoor venues with more than 500 people, unseated outdoor venues with more than 4,000 people, and any venue with more than 10,000 people.
Daily testing for people identified as a contact of a COVID-19 case – with isolation required only for people who test positive.
Plan B was drawn up before the Omicron variant emerged, and only applies to England.
Brits are being urged to “prioritise” social events “that really matter to them” in the run-up to Christmas / Credit: Flickr
Yet despite the introduction of the measures, the government has not told any businesses to close or imposed any capacity restrictions on sporting events.
Even though there are no legal limits on crowd sizes, Dr Nikki Kanani did advise supporters in yesterday’s conference to stay away from stadiums – apart from those being used as COVID vaccination sites – as the Omicron variant spreads across the UK.
“My advice would be, if you’re going to go to a stadium at the weekend, make it one where you can get your vaccine or help out to give a vaccine, rather than going to watch a match,” she said
Professor Chris Whitty echoed Dr Kanani’s comments, saying that it would be “very sensible” for people to make choices between which social events they attend, and which they don’t, adding: “I really think people should be prioritising those things and only those things that really matter to them.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Mr Johnson added that the public were showing a “general instinct to be more cautious”.
Meanwhile, the conference last night also comes amid an ongoing conversation around the hardships once again being faced by the hospitality sector and the question of “where is the Chancellor”, as pubs and restaurants in Greater Manchester and right across the UK are hit by a surge of cancelled bookings in the lead-up to and at Christmas.
Sacha Lord – Greater Manchester’s Night Time Economy Adviser, and co-founder of Parklife and Warehouse Project – has been a prominent voice in questioning and critiquing the lack of support being offered by the government.
Can someone URGENTLY wake up @RishiSunak please.
Chancellor, you’ve turned your back on the 5th biggest industry in the UK.
You will be responsible for the decimation of businesses, livelihoods and mass redundancies. pic.twitter.com/vxj75IWLka
Mr Lord took to Twitter yesterday to ask someone to “urgently wake up Rishi Sunak”, and said the Chancellor would be “responsible for the decimation of businesses, livelihoods and mass redundancies,” in the sector.
ADVERTISEMENT
UK Hospitality has called for business rates to be deferred, and VAT discounts extended.
Also response to the lack of government support, Wes Streeting – Labour’s Shadow Health Secretary – told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that “It’s not right that businesses through no fault of their own are taking a hit.”
He added that it was “inexplicable the chancellor and business secretary are nowhere to be seen” as many businesses see incomes plunge at a crucial time of year.
Abuser jailed for life for sexual offences and encouraging a child to self-harm in ‘landmark’ GMP case
Emily Sergeant
A man who encouraged a vulnerable young girl to self-harm while sexually abusing her over a period of several months has been jailed for life.
Karl Davies, a 42-year-old from the Wirral in Merseyside, posed as several different men using fake social media profiles and adopted various different personalities, all in a bid to groom and manipulate his young victim.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) offences began back in June 2023, when a Snapchat account using the name ‘Ben’ messaged the victim – a girl who was aged just 13 at the time.
The communication soon led to image sharing, before ‘Ben’ encouraged the girl to share images with another account under the name ‘Chris’. Over the following weeks, several accounts contacted the girl, disappearing and re-appearing at various points, with phone calls and further image sharing taking place.
However the accounts were, in fact, all managed by Karl Davies.
Davies used the accounts to alternate between blackmailing the victim to send indecent images, or acting supportive of her issues, and this continued for several months, with the girl sending multiple videos at the request of the different accounts – including being asked to send videos of her hurting herself, using items at the encouragement of the accounts.
Eventually, by June 2024, one of the accounts under the name ‘Sean’ told the girl that she had to meet his friend ‘Mark’ to engage in sexual acts.
#JAILED | An abuser has been jailed for 20 years for sexual offences and encouraging a child to self-harm in a landmark GMP case.
That very same month, Davies – under the guise of ‘Mark’ – travelled from his home address in the Wirral to Stockport, where he picked up the girl, then aged 14, in her school uniform, and abused her in his car.
This occurred several times throughout June and July, and also during this time, some of the accounts encouraged the girl to hurt herself – with Davies providing her with a razor during one of their meet-ups for the purpose of self-harm.
In January 2025, the girl bravely came forward, and during an interview with police, went through all the details of the incidents.
A police investigation was immediately launched, before Davies was subsequently arrested on 11 February this year and remanded in custody.
His sentencing came earlier this week (20 October 2025) at Manchester Crown Court, after he previously pleaded guilty to seventeen offences at his hearing on 22 May – including 10 counts of sexual activity with a child, four of grooming, and two of arranging or facilitating the commission of a child sex offence.
Davies additionally pleaded guilty to the offence of encouraging or assisting serious self-harm, and it’s this conviction that makes it such a ‘landmark’ case for GMP.
That offence – which falls under the Online Safety Act 2023 – is one of the first prosecuted in the country, and the first case prosecuted which involved a child.
“As a seasoned prosecutor of grooming cases I have never before seen such sophisticated methods used to target a young person,” commented Stacey Gosling, who is a Senior Crown Prosecutor for CPS North West.
“I can only hope that as Davies begins his prison sentence, the victim can begin to move forward knowing her vile abuser has been brought to justice.”
Davies has been jailed for 20 years, with an additional five years on licence.
Featured Image – GMP
News
Manchester’s libraries to become ‘warm spaces’ with free hot drinks and WiFi this winter
Emily Sergeant
Manchester’s libraries are set to become ‘warm welcome spaces’ offering free hot drinks and internet access to those in need again this winter.
After millions of local residents visited the ‘stigma-free safe spaces’ to escape and take refuge from the cold each year since they were first introduced in 2022, Manchester City Council has decided to reintroduce its popular ‘Warm Welcome Spaces’ scheme again this year during the chillier months.
All 22 of Manchester‘s public libraries are, once again, taking part in the scheme this time around.
Designed to ‘provide support to people who need it’ over some of the most challenging months of the year when temperatures drop, the Council’s scheme is offering a range of different services – and they’re all for free of charge.
Free hot drinks, WiFi and internet access, data SIM cards, and newspapers are just some of the things people can make the most of inside these ‘warm spaces’, as well as get access to information, advice, and extra signposting to other support services they made need in the city.
Manchester’s libraries will become ‘warm spaces’ with free hot drinks and WiFi again this winter / Credit: Haydon Waldeck | koolshooters (Pexels)
There will be age-friendly spaces to connect with others, story times once a week at 11am for children under five, and even weekly digital drop-ins too.
Manchester Central Library, Miles Platting Community Library, Hulme High Street Library, Beswick Library, Longsight Library, and Abraham Moss Library are just some of the libraries taking part this winter.
All 22 libraries will be free to enter, and the Council says people can stay in them ‘for as long as you like’.
“For many years, the Council has been a proud supporter of the Warm Welcome Spaces initiative,” explained Councillor Thomas Robinson, who is the Executive Member for Healthy Manchester and Adult Social Care at Manchester City Council.
“In Manchester we have been all too aware of the impact of the cost-of-living crisis and the hardships people have suffered as a result.
“It’s not an exaggeration to say this work has the potential to be lifesaving. The simple act of offering a person a safe place where they can interact with other Mancunians, to not feel alone or get the help they need, can have a lasting and meaningful impact.”
Find your local free ‘Warm Welcome Space’ in Manchester here.
The Manc -
16th December 2021 
