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Will we be working from home again? Covid guidance and rules explained
8 December 2021, 13:00 | Updated: 8 December 2021, 13:48
Will the working from home guidance return this week? Here's what we know about possible Plan B rules...
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It's been reported that Prime Minister Boris Johnson could introduce the Plan B coronavirus rules this week in response to growing concern about the Omicron variant.
As part of the contingency plan, people in England could be advised to once again work from home where possible.
The working from home guidance was introduced at the start of the pandemic, and saw Brits advised to stay out of the office to help slow the spread of coronavirus.
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Will the work from home guidance return?
Nothing has been confirmed by Downing Street, but reports have suggested the guidance could return as early as tomorrow (Thursday December 9) as part of the introduction of Plan B.
Boris Johnson is reportedly set to deliver a press conference in the coming days, so it's likely we'll find out more about the plans then.
Professor Ferguson, from Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE), has said he would like to see stricter rules introduced while the third jab campaign was ramped out.
He told the BBC: "Case numbers are doubling at least every three days maybe even every two days at the moment.
"To put that in context it is the same if not faster than we saw with the original strain of the virus in March of last year, so it is a concern.
"There is a rational just epidemiologically to try and slow this down to give us more time to principally get boosters into people’s arms, because we do think that people who are boosted will have the best level of protection, but also to buy us more time to better characterise the threat.
"If you imagine a Plan B plus with working from home might slow it down."
