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Boris Johnson confirms NO new restrictions for Christmas

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson - 21st December 2021

Boris Johnson has confirmed that no new restrictions will be introduced in England before Christmas day, saying that there is ‘not enough evidence’ to justify tougher rules at this stage.

The Prime Minster has addressed the nation in a video on his official social media channels.

He said that people can ‘go ahead with their Christmas plans’ but said the Government is unable to rule out introducing further measures after Christmas.

The PM warned that Omicron cases are continuing to rise at a ‘speed unlike anything we’ve seen before’ and urged people to get their boosters and exercise caution when seeing family over the festive season.

He said that there is continuing uncertainty surrounding the new variant’s impact on hospitalisation rates.

Mr Johnson said: “There is no doubt that Omicron continues to surge with a speed unlike anything we’ve seen before.

“The situation remains extremely difficult but I also recognise that people have been waiting to hear whether their Christmas plans are going to be affected.

“So what I can say tonight, is that naturally we can’t rule out any further measures after Christmas – and we’re going to keep a constant eye on the data, and we’ll do whatever it takes to protect public health.

“But in view of the continuing uncertainty about several things – the severity of Omicron, uncertainty about the hospitalisation rate or the impact of the vaccine rollout or the boosters, we don’t think today that there is enough evidence to justify any tougher measures before Christmas.

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“We continue to monitor Omicron very closely and if the situation deteriorates we will be ready to take action if needed.

“What this means is that people can go ahead with their Christmas plans but the situation remains finely balanced and I would urge everyone to exercise caution, to keep protecting yourselves and your loved ones, especially the vulnerable.

“And remember to keep following the guidance – wear a mask indoors when required to do so, keep fresh air circulating, and take a test before you visit elderly or vulnerable relatives.

“So if you have not done so already, then please drop everything, find a walk-in or go online and make an appointment and get boosted now.

“Thank you very much and happy Christmas.”

Featured image: Boris Johnson

News

NHS urges people to keep ‘coming forward for care’ as resident doctors begin strikes from tomorrow

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

The NHS has issued a plea urging people to keep ‘coming forward for care’ if they need it for the next week.

In case you hadn’t heard, earlier this month, the British Medical Association (BMA) confirmed that doctors had ‘spoken clearly’ after the results of a ballot – which ran from 27 May until 7 July – revealed that 90% of resident doctors voted in favour of a return to industrial action.

The ballot saw a turnout of 55% members, with almost 30,000 (29,741) votes cast, and 26,766 of those votes endorsing the use of strike action as part of efforts to restore pay.

The result meant that resident doctors secured a fresh mandate to stage industrial action when they choose up until January 2026. 

Resident doctors will be staging strike action for the next five days / Credit: BMA

As the results of the ballot proved that the vast majority of resident doctors – formerly known as junior doctors – were in favour of taking industrial action, it was then subsequently confirmed they will stage a full walk out from 7am tomorrow (Friday 25 July) up until 7am on Wednesday 30 July.

Ahead of the strikes beginning tomorrow morning, the NHS has now appealed directly to the public urging them to not be deterred from seeking treatment if they need it during this time frame.

According to the NHS, hospitals and local teams across the UK have all been preparing ‘as usual’ ahead of this latest round of strikes, and plans have been put in place to minimise disruption to patient experiences and ensure life-saving care continues.

Patient in a hospital bed
The NHS is urging patients to still keep coming forward for care if they need it / Credit: Stephen Andrews (via Unsplash)

Hospital chief executives have been asked to keep routine operations going ‘to the fullest extent possible’ during this round of strikes, and to only reschedule appointments and other activity in ‘exceptional circumstances’.

This is why the NHS is therefore advising the public to continue to attend any planned appointments that they have scheduled over the strike period unless they have been contacted to reschedule.

Primary and urgent and emergency care services will continue to be available for those who need them.

The public should use 111 online as the ‘first port of call’ for issues that are considered urgent but not life-threatening during industrial action, so that they can be directed to the best place for their needs, while calling 999 or heading to A&E as normal should happen in the event of an emergency.

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“There is no doubt this industrial action will take a toll on patients and NHS staff, and it is disappointing it is going ahead,” commented Professor Meghana Pandit, who is NHS England’s National Medical Director, ahead of the strikes.

“While it will mean some appointments won’t be able to go ahead as planned, we are doing all we can to limit this, and patients should continue to use NHS services in the usual way.”

Featured Image – Pxhere

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Oasis are clearly doing something very deliberate for the as-yet-unconfirmed Live ’25 reunion album

Danny Jones Danny Jones Oasis Live '25 reunion world tour album

We’ve still not emotionally recovered from Oasis’ five homecoming nights in Manchester, and after seeing that the band just released a live recording of ‘Cigarettes & Alcohol’ from Heaton Park, it’s taken us right back to Friday, 11 July, and we can’t stop thinking about a Live ’25 album.

In fact, while the live record of the reunion world hasn’t been confirmed just yet, we’re becoming increasingly convinced that this is exactly what fans are going to get – and following the second Live ’25 concert capture dropping this week, we’re almost certain we know what they’re doing.

And if so, you can consider the vinyl of the ‘Oasis Live ’25‘ LP already in the basket.

Many of you might have already thought the same thing, but for anyone it hasn’t yet clicked for, let us explain; we got the live taping of ‘Slide Away’ from the Principality Stadium in Cardiff to start with, i.e. the first stop on the world tour. Here’s a snippet of how it sounds:

Have we listened to it pretty much non-stop ever since? Yes, but concentrate, that’s not the point we’re getting at; we think Oasis are doing something very specific for their almost inevitable Live ’25 album.

Up next was the aforementioned ‘Cigs and Alcohol’, performed and recorded on home turf right here in 0161, and released in honour of their magnificent Manc comeback.

More accurately, the live version of the song is plucked from their unforgettable opening evening at Heaton Park, as opposed to any of the other five dates.

Can you see where we’re going with this yet?…

With their place of birth having waited more than a decade and a half to hear the first few iconic chords that signal the start of the timeless Oasis classic and a pure rock and roll blowout, you can literally hear the energy from the crowd in your ears.

If you haven’t heard it dozens of times already, take a listen for yourselves and feel free to Poznań wherever you happen to be reading this:

Upon checking the date of the Cardiff recording of ‘Slide Away’ was taken from, we noticed that they had also chosen the inaugural night of the entire Live ’25 tour, i.e. their very first live show in 16 years.

While we’re aware an official Oasis reunion tour album is technically still TBC, if you see a third live track released after their five shows in the capital get underway this Friday (25 July), you can pretty much bank on the special live release being all but nailed on.

So, not only are we getting an Oasis Live ’25 reunion documentary from the man behind Peaky Blinders, but it looks like they’ll be providing fans with a virtual tour and a chance to experience/relive the gigs aurally, with each of the 23 tracks on the setlist being pulled from a different city on the world tour.

Now, while this isn’t an entirely unheard of idea in the world of live albums, that’s not all.

Better still, if our suspicions are correct and the next drop is taken from night one of Oasis Live ’25 in London (bonus points if you can guess which tune they go for), then the entire thing will capture the sonics and atmosphere at its best: propped up by the utter euphoria of a dream finally being realised.

We’re sure they could pull the audio at any part of the set, from any old date, and it would sound great, but nothing is like the palpable ecstasy you could quite literally hear on the opening nights in Cardiff, Manchester and, no doubt, Wembley. Having said that, the final farewell was pretty biblical too.

Oasis 25: Heaton Park send off Oasis like only Manchester could – with biblical rain
Put simply, isolate any night of the world tour and there’ll be something unique in the master.

Die-hards have been waiting what feels like a lifetime to finally see their favourite band in the flesh again; actually, like many of us here in Greater Manchester and indeed all over the world, some were simply too young to experience the Britpop craze and ‘Oasis Mania’ the first time around.

They obviously have a huge following not just in the UK and Ireland, but all over: the US, Japan, across South East Asia and throughout most of South America – you only have to watch clips or even hear Noel Gallagher talk about Buenos Aires to not how ‘mad fer it’ they are over there.

For a lot of fans, this IS their 1990s moment, and even those who sadly didn’t manage to get tickets have a chance to almost feel like they were there.

One thing’s for sure: if/when the Oasis Live ’25 album arrives, that Manchester buzz will take some beating in the unofficial contest to see who loves the legendary British rock band the most.

@the.manc For one last time – Oasis in the city where it all began- Manchester forever 🤘 #themanc #manchester #oasis #oasislive25 #mcr #oasismania ♬ original sound – The Manc

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Featured Images – Oasis (via YouTube)/Audio North

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