First Omicron case identified in Bristol, city’s mayor confirms

The first case of the Omicron variant has been identified in Bristol, the city’s mayor has confirmed.

Bristol mayor Marvin Rees made the announcement during a press conference this morning (Tuesday, December 8).

He added that Bristol City Council is working with the UK Health Security Agency, which will be taking ‘necessary action’.

It comes as Boris Johnson is expected to announce new restrictions later today, which could include home working along with vaccine certification.

Speaking to BristolWorld at the press conference, Mr Rees said: “I can confirm that we have had an Omicron case but details of that will be released as the day goes on.

“We just have to handle it incredibly carefully in line with national guidance.”

Asked if he was concerned there maybe more cases of the variant, thought to be more transmissible than the Delta variant, undetected in the city, Mr Rees said: “Inevitably in a situation like this there is a degree of uncertainty and degree of risk.

“We have to work with the data as we have it. We have our local tools and national tools.

“I would say we work very closely with community development workers across the city as well so where those national tools are not necessarily able to give us the full picture we do have our frontline resources of intelligence.”

Today, due partly to the increase in Omicron cases, Prime Minister Boris Johnson is considering moving England into Plan B of the Government’s strategy for dealing with Covid this winter.

It could mean the introduction of Covid vaccine passports and a return to the work from home order.

Asked if he supported the move, Mr Rees said: “This is about following the guidance of public health experts.

“I’ll support the movement of Plan B if our public health experts say ‘the best thing for the country and the world is movement to Plan B’.

“That’s my job as mayor is to get excellent people around me to guide us in what we do.”

Professor Neil Ferguson, a member of the UK government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) and told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme this morning that Omicron is ‘likely to be the dominant strain in the UK before Christmas’.

He added that it may be necessary for another lockdown to be imposed to curb the variant, which is believed to be ‘highly transmissable’.

In an interview with BristolWorld last week, the regions director of Public Health warned that it was ‘only a matter of time’ before Omicron found its way to Bristol.

She added that hospitals in the city were still at Opel 4, their highest stage of alert, and that residents should ‘follow the guidance’ to help alleviate pressures on the NHS.