Germany and Portugal among European nations bringing in Covid restrictions after Christmas

World Health Organization says Omicron now dominant across much of the continent

Germany and Portugal are among European countries to announce they are introducing fresh Covid curbs going into the new year to limit the spread of the more contagious Omicron variant currently ripping through the continent.

New German chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Tuesday that New Year's Eve celebrations will be restricted to 10 people while football matches and other large sporting events will take place without fans and spectators.

Portugal premier Antonio Costa announced similar measures and also ordered nightclubs and bars to shut from Christmas Day. People are being told to work from home for at least two weeks also beginning 25 December.

The crackdowns came after The World Health Organizaton (WHO) warned that Omicron, the dominant strain in much of Europe, could wreak havoc in hospitals if it is left unchecked and tougher curbs on social contacts are not implemented.

Hans Kluge, WHO's European head, said the strain, first detected by scientists in South Africa but now quickly spreading around the world, would push "already stretched health systems further to the brink".

UK prime minister Boris Johnson announced on Tuesday evening that there would be no new restrictions in the country before Christmas Day but said ministers can not "rule out" introducing measures at a later date.

However, he has not confirmed if this could happen in the days immediately following Christmas Day or New Year's Eve, leading to accusations by opposition parties that he is failing to provide businesses, particularly in the hospitality and entertainment industries, with certainty.

Announcing the fresh restrictions on Tuesday, Portugal's Mr Costa said: "This is not a normal Christmas. If we do not adopt these measures now, the consequences on everyone's lives will be much worse after Christmas and the New Year," he added.

He also announced capacity restrictions at shops and said a negative Covid test would now be required to stay at hotels, go to events or eat in a restaurant.

Most of the measures announced by Mr Costa were initially meant to come into force in early January but the current pandemic situation forced the government to implement them ahead of time, he said.

Portugal, which has one of the world's highest rates of vaccination against Covid with around 87 per cent of its 10 million population fully inoculated, is facing a surge in infections along with the rest of Europe, in part due to the fast-spreading Omicron variant.

Germany's Mr Scholz said it was just a matter of "weeks" before Omicron became the dominant strain in his country. "I can understand everyone who doesn't want to hear about mutations and virus variants, especially before Christmas," he said.

"But we must not close our eyes to the Omicron wave that looms in front of us."

France is not bringing in new curbs despite health minister Olivier Veran warning on Wednesday morning that infections there could hit 100,000 a day due to the rapid spread of Omicron.

President Emmanuel Macron is gambling on an accelerated vaccine booster programme to keep the virus in check. Mr Veran said he expected 22-23 million booster doses will have been administered by Christmas, up from 20 million as of Wednesday.

The objective, he said, is not to reduce the speed of the spread of the virus because the variant is too contagious. The objective is to limit the risk of serious cases overwhelming hospitals, he told broadcasters.

Scotland and the Netherlands are among other countries that have reimposed partial or full lockdowns or other social distancing measures.

Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland first minister, has announced strict limits on football matches and other live events there in a bid to stem the rise of the Omicron variant of Covid.

She announced that the capacity of sports and other outdoor events would be capped at 500 people for three weeks from 26 December because of the risk of “super-spreader” events.

Large New Year street parties – including the Hogmanay celebration in Edinburgh – will be cancelled, while numbers at concerts and other indoor events will be limited to 100 standing or 200 seated.

In Ireland, hospitality venues must close at 8pm each night as new Covid restrictions aimed at curbing the spread of the Omicron variant come into effect.

The new rules, agreed by the cabinet on Friday, will last until 30 January. Deputy prime minister Leo Varadkar on Wednesday morning said he does not expect any tighter controls than those already announced.

Mark Drakeford, Wales first minister, was due to give a Covid update later on Wednesday morning when he was expected to announce a tightening of rules post-Christmas.