Plan B measures across UK would cost economy billions

Saturday, 26 Oct, 2021 0

Ministers have been warned a winter with ‘Plan B’ restrictions would wipe up to £18 billion off the UK economy.

Health officials have been piling on pressure to enact restrictions this winter to curb the still very high number of Covid cases.

PM Boris Johnson has so far publically refused to consider curbs, although officials have analysed what a ‘Plan B’ scenario would look like.

According to government documents seen by POLITICO, it would cost between £11 billion and £18 billion if restrictions lasted until the end of March 2022.

A Plan B strategy would include mandatory mask wearing, Covid certification to enter certain venues and work-from-home.

A Covid-19 Taskforce analysis says vaccine certification would reduce overall transmission by up to 5% but that comes with a ‘high impact’ to the economy.

Daily Covid case numbers are still well above 30,000.

It comes as Chancellor Rishi Sunak says the UK economy is ‘firmly back on track’ despite the pandemic.

The Labour Party this week joined a growing band of health experts in calling on the government to bring in Plan B measures with the vaccine programme now ‘stalling.’

TravelMole Editorial Team

Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.

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