BORIS Johnson was last night accused of creating “lockdown by stealth” as millions stayed at home to save their Christmas.
Pubs and restaurants are closing after punters were asked to choose between partying or keeping loved ones safe from Omicron.
Last night’s Premier League game between Leicester and Spurs was postponed along with five more over the weekend.
A new high of 88,376 daily infections was recorded yesterday — but the Government said it will hit its target of a million booster jabs a day by the weekend.
The PM insisted there are no plans for further restrictions before the holiday — despite the Omicron wave.
Yet on Wednesday gloomy Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty called for limits on meeting friends.
The mixed message appears to put the PM at odds with his leading experts. And it means millions have to weigh up a pint with pals — or Christmas at home with the in-laws in eight days’ time.
Yesterday there were signs Brits had declared a self-lockdown as towns and cities fell silent.
Millions worked from home, roads were empty and public transport passenger numbers massively down.
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But some are determined to party on while they can. Brits could sink ten million pints for tonight’s “Black Eye Friday” — the last big night out before Christmas.
Oil rig worker Greg Wilson, 50, of Norfolk, said: “All I’d say to Mr Whitty is, he should try having Christmas with my family.
“I’d feel a lot happier and safer in the pub with my mates.”
Daily Covid cases in Britain rocketed to another record high yesterday with more than 88,000 people diagnosed in the past 24 hours.
It marks a 74 per cent rise in a week and beat the previous record of 68,000 in January.
Omicron is believed to be doubling every two days with testing struggling to keep up.
Scientists fear the R-rate, the number each infected person infects, in some areas could be between 3 and 5 — far higher than previous Covid spreads.
Around two million people could be self-isolating by Christmas Day if infection rates continue.
Fifteen people are in hospital with the variant, but Prof Whitty warned the true figure will be much bigger.
Tories yesterday accused the Chief Medical Officer of forcing England into an “effective lockdown”.
Former minister Steve Brine said in the Commons: “There was no new policy announced then Professor Whitty answered a question from the BBC and at a stroke changed Government policy and put this country, certainly hospitality… into effective lockdown.”
Tory MP Joy Morrissey accused Prof Whitty of turning England into a “public health socialist state”. She later deleted the Twitter outburst.
