Covid: No Omicron fear on show as partygoers go out in droves across Britain

Partygoers showed no sign of Omicron concern last night as many hit clubs and bars, despite SAGE scientists discussing a two-week circuit breaker lockdown over the Christmas period.

One of the busiest nights out of the year, thousands were out across the UK, as the Omicron variant continues to surge.

Clubbers queued up to enter nightclubs in Leeds, London and Newcastle on so-called 'Black Eye Friday' - one of the busiest nights of the year.

Mark Drakeford's Welsh government have announced nightclubs are to shut from December 27, however Cardiff was awash with young people as they enjoyed their last night out before Christmas.

Leaked minutes from the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage), seen by the BBC, reportedly said scientists had told ministers that tougher measures need to be brought in “very soon”.

The BBC reported that the advisers had recommended moving to restrictions seen in step one and two of the easing of lockdown restrictions in the spring. This included a ban on indoor mixing and indoor hospitality.

The UK reported more than 90,000 new Covid cases in another record daily total on Friday.

A government spokesperson said: “The Government will continue to look closely at all the emerging data and we’ll keep our measures under review as we learn more about this variant.”