Update (1330ET): BoJo held a press conference Wednesday evening at 10 Downing Street in the UK where he laid out his his plans for adopting "Plan B" restrictions in England (to fight the omicron variant, which government advisors have warned him could overtake delta as the UK's dominant strain by Christmas).
The PM started by insisting "we have to act on the data."
The only problem with this is that there isn't any data to act on when it comes to omicron. Only 568 cases have been confirmed in the UK so far, and it's not like the UK's government advisors haven't been wrong before. Though the PM did concede that the actual number of omicron cases is much higher.
The senior aide who featured in a recent leaked video that greatly embarrassed BoJo's government also announced her resignation.
As for 'Plan B', the prime minister announced that face masks would be mandatory in theaters and cinemas starting Friday, while vaccine passports will be required for anybody trying to enter a club, a large sporting event or a concert. Restaurants and pubs will remain exempt from the new mask wearing rules. To qualify for the passport, people will need to have received at least two jabs.
BoJo also asked that all Britons who are able should return to working from home starting Monday.
So far, omicron hasn't put a single Briton in the hospital, nor has it contributed to any (confirmed) deaths.
Update (0800ET): More details about BoJo's "Plan B" are coming into focus. The plan could be announced as early as Wednesday evening, or possibly Thursday. According to the BBC, the UK cabinet is meeting at 15:45GMT and has scheduled a press conference for 17:30GMT on Plan B.
Since the start of the pandemic, we have cautioned readers to look past what political leaders are saying about lockdowns and vaccine mandates intended to "keep us safe", and focus more on ulterior motives, like pushing the Fed to monetize mountains of debt to keep the market-sustaining money ap open. Like with every other major decision, it's important to ask oneself: Cui bono - who benfits?
With that in mind, UK PM Boris Johnson is facing bitter criticism from Britons after he allegedly rushed the announcement of England's "Plan B" - BoJo's more restrictive version of President Biden's "winter plan" - allegedly to try and distract from a national scandal caused by leaked footage of a 10 Downing Street Christmas Party held last winter, when holiday parties were expressly forbidden by COVID lockdown rules
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