Festive revellers hit pubs and clubs as Christmas party season begins – despite Omicron spreading across UK
CHRISTMAS revellers donned festive outfits as they celebrated the start of silly season in pubs and clubs last night despite the concerning spread of Omicron.
Brits enjoyed a night on the town to mark the first Friday of December in the run up to Christmas.
Despite the chilly temperatures and concerns over Omicron, Brits hit the pubs and clubs in Newcastle and Birmingham in true festive style.
Some boozy revellers took to the streets wearing elf costumes and Santa outfits.
And girls dolled up in sparkly dresses and Christmas hats to kick off the start of the festive season.
One brave lad was pictured heading out to the pub with his mates kitted out in a full Father Christmas costume – including black boots and the white beard.
It comes amid fears Christmas parties could be cancelled to curb the spread of Omicron.
Another 75 cases of the variant have been confirmed in England, taking the total for England to 104 and for the UK as a whole to 134 – including the first confirmed case in Wales.
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And more than half of the Omicron cases in England are among Brits who are double vaccinated, health officials have revealed.
But Boris Johnson, 57, who has received his booster jab, insisted there was no need to cancel Xmas gatherings, family meet-ups or nativity plays over fears of the new Covid variant.
He begged confused Brits not to panic as he sought to calm the chaos by saying of the tougher restrictions claims: “There’s no need for that at all. That’s not what we are saying.
“Please, we’ve got to take a balanced and proportionate approach to this. We want people to continue as they are.”
The PM’s intervention came after several days of conflicting advice from ministers and top doctors across the airwaves.
A string of ministers have tried to dampen the Christmas spirit by suggesting people should not kiss strangers and avoid attending huge parties.
Work and Pensions Secretary Therese Coffey sparked a furious backlash when she ordered people to avoid “snogging under the mistletoe” this year.
An unusual cross-party alliance broke out as the Health Secretary and Labour leader both said ministers should not be telling people who they can and cannot kiss.
Sajid Javid declared: “People can snog who they wish — it’s got nothing to do with the Government who you kiss.”
And Sir Keir Starmer insisted: “I don’t think it’s the role of government to dictate who people can kiss or not kiss.”
‘TERRIBLY CONFUSING’
But science minister George Freeman revealed his department had abandoned its festive bash to have it on Zoom instead – and said people should think twice about a gathering of more than five or six people.
He warned: “Some companies might normally bring hundreds of people in from around the world to a big party, and they may decide, this year, is that sensible?”
A Downing Street spokesperson said the nation should look at the government guidance as it was set out at the weekend.
“There is nothing in the rules to prevent anyone having a Christmas party or socialising in that way,” they said.
But frantic hospitality bosses are seeing firms cancel their Christmas bashes over Omicron.
Some large companies, including NatWest, Aviva and Deloitte, are hosting smaller team parties.
Young’s pub group boss Patrick Dardis said the messaging from officials had been “terribly confusing and inconsistent”.
And Royal College of Nursing council chairwoman Carol Popplestone argued that mixed messages from ministers could create “even more worry and confusion”.
