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If you're just joining us, here's a quick summary of what's happened so far today:

• Nightclubs in Wales must close from 27 December and social distancing will be required in shops and workplaces

• The measures are needed because the "storm of Omicron" is coming, First Minister Mark Drakeford says
• In Scotland, new regulations requiring businesses to take steps to minimise the spread of Covid have come into force
• Ports are reporting long queues to board ferries and Eurostar has advised ticketless customers not to come to St Pancras station ahead of a ban on most travel to France coming into force tonight
• Half of this weekend's Premier League matches have been postponed due to Covid outbreaks
• South Africa's health minister says his government believes vaccines and previous Covid infections are contributing to the wave of milder disease caused by the Omicron variant
• Austria is temporarily relaxing restrictions on unvaccinated citizens amid falling case numbers

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South Africa's health minister says his government believes vaccines and a high level of prior Covid-19 infection are contributing to the wave of milder disease caused by the Omicron variant.

There have been some early suggestions that the Omicron variant driving the country's fourth wave is causing a less severe illness than previous variants in South Africa.

But Joe Phaala told reporters on Friday that the government does not believe the variant is necessarily less virulent than previous waves of the virus.

He said the country was benefiting from the combination of vaccinations and the "natural immunity of people who have already had contact with the virus".

Michelle Groome, from the National Institute for Communicable Diseases, added that there had been an uptick in Covid-19 hospital admissions and deaths in recent days.

Vaccination levels in South Africa are high by continental standards, with 44% of the population having received at least one jab, though this is below the government's target to vaccinate 67% of the population by the end of 2021.

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The Austrian government has agreed to temporarily relax restrictions on unvaccinated citizens amid falling case numbers in the country.

Austria exited a three-week lockdown on Sunday, but had kept curbs on the freedoms on unvaccinated Austrians in place.

But Health Minister Wolfgang Mueckstein announced on Friday that they will be granted an exception to join gatherings of up to 10 people from 24 to 26 December, and on New Year's Eve.

Under rules imposed last month, unvaccinated Austrians are generally not allowed to meet more than one person at a time from another household.

"Christmas should show us once again how important contact with our loved ones is and how precious time together is," Mueckstein told reporters.

"We have in recent weeks gained an advantage that we want to use.

"We want to use it to take a moment to pause over Christmas to remember what is really important."

Image source, Eurostar

As we've been reporting, France is imposing tighter Covid restrictions for travellers arriving from the UK tonight, in a bid to slow the spread of the Omicron variant.

From 23:00 GMT, most travellers who are not French residents or citizens must give a "compelling reason" for their journey.

Some lorry drivers and students will be able to travel, but Brits visiting relatives are not currently listed.

All arrivals will have to provide a negative Covid test less than 24 hours old and isolate for at least two days.

Eurostar says it has seen a rise in bookings for travel today before the new rules come into effect, but it did not give precise figures.

It is advising passengers not to come to the station unless they have a valid ticket and the necessary testing completed.

Customers who need to change their plans are being offered a fee-free exchange or e-voucher.

Brittany Ferries says it has seen a small increase in bookings for today, describing the new measures as a hammer blow.

Yesterday, ferry operator DFDS said it expected today's services to be busy as people prepare to get away for Christmas to see family and friends ahead of tonight's deadline.

Tim Vizard
Consultant statistician, BBC News

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Around six in 10 adults (62%) say they are planning to visit family or friends in their homes over the Christmas period, while about five in 10 (48%) plan to have family or friends visit them in their home, new data from the ONS , externalsuggests.

The survey, based on about 3,000 adults in Great Britain and conducted between 1 to 12 December, found eight in 10 adults (80%) said they are planning to stay at home if feeling unwell to help reduce the spread of Covid-19.

Around four in 10 adults (42%) said they had taken a lateral flow test in the last seven days.

The survey also found 94% of adults said they wore a face mask at some point in the last seven days, up from 84% in the late November.

This follows the introduction of new rules which came into force on 30 November, requiring face masks on public transport and in shops in England.

Among those who travelled on public transport in the past seven days, 84% of adults said they wore a face covering for the whole journey, up from 70% in late November.

Image source, PA Media

Half of this weekend's Premier League fixtures have now been called off, after four more games were postponed because of Covid outbreaks.

The latest games affected are Southampton v Brentford, Watford v Crystal Palace, West Ham v Norwich and Everton v Leicester.

On Wednesday, Brentford boss Thomas Frank called for this weekend's top-flight fixtures to be postponed to let clubs deal with the outbreaks - but the Premier League is so far resisting that.

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Having second thoughts about attending a gig, football match or panto?

Ticket resale websites are finding supply far outweighing demand, as people heed warnings about the spread of the Omicron variant, and in many cases customers are not entitled to a refund.

So what are your rights if you've spent money on an event that you don't feel like going to any more?

Newsbeat hears from a consumer rights specialist at Which? about what can be done.

Lara Wahab has type 1 diabetes and needs a life-saving kidney and pancreas transplant.

But despite matching organs being found, she says her hospital couldn't do the operation because no intensive care beds were available.

The 34-year-old from Crouch End, north London, had been told the wait would be about 12-15 months, but disruption to the NHS due to the Covid-19 pandemic means she's been waiting for more than two years.

Lara thanked "amazing" NHS staff, but blames unvaccinated people for taking up beds. She says those who can be vaccinated should have the Covid jab, or risk using hospital resources that others need.

Read more here.

Image source, Katelyn Mensah

The UK's 10-day isolation period means that anyone who tests positive for Covid now will be forced to stay by themselves over Christmas.

One of those affected is Katelyn Mensah, a student at the University of Lincoln, who tested positive on a lateral flow yesterday and is waiting for a PCR result.

If that comes back positive, Katelyn will be stuck in her student flat on her own until 26 December.

She tells BBC Radio 4's Today programme she's been trying to keep a "positive attitude", making plans to FaceTime her family to open presents and cook herself a small roast dinner.

And she's hoping that if she's recovered she'll be able to travel home on Boxing Day.

If you're suffering with Covid at home here's some tips on how to manage.

Image source, Nicola Young/PA Media

Rising Covid cases are also hitting the theatre industry, with shows including The Lion King and The Life of Pi forced to cancel performances because of outbreaks.

Joanna Reid, executive director of the Belgrade Theatre in Coventry, says her team have had to cancel 12 of its Christmas shows after half of the cast tested positive.

She tells BBC Radio 4's Today programme the theatre have refunded £180,000 worth of tickets, both because of cancelled performances and "confusing messaging" over Plan B restrictions.

While she says people still want to go to the theatre she adds that "there's been a real dent of confidence".

The surge of Omicron means families of care home residents are facing another Christmas with restrictions on how much they can see their loved ones.

Care home residents in England will only be allowed three visitors and an essential care giver under new guidance - but some won't be able to see family members at all.

Sandy Pearson has been told she cannot see her mother over Christmas because her care home is only allowing residents to visit families outside the home, which her mother cannot do.

She describes the situation as "devastating for a second year in a row".

Sandy tells BBC Radio 4's Today programme that generally the care home has been superb and she thinks the rules could be to do with staff shortages.

"I’m looking and thinking how much longer have we got with her? This could be her last Christmas. The thought of not seeing her again is absolutely heartbreaking," she says.

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We've been hearing this morning about how Wales plans to introduce tougher Covid restrictions later this month - but in Scotland new legal measures on businesses to control the spread of Covid have taken effect today.

Firms are now legally required to take measures to minimise transmission due to concerns about the Omicron variant.

Shops and hospitality venues have to work to reduce crowding and queueing, put up screens and barriers and enforce the wearing of face masks.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon warned on Thursday that further restrictions on "high risk" sectors may be unavoidable.

In Wales, nightclubs will close and social distancing measures will be required in shops and workplaces from 27 December.

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Oliver Dowden is also asked about criticism of England's chief medical officer Prof Chris Whitty for advising people to limit socialising over Christmas.

The Conservative Party chairman tells BBC Radio 4's Today programme Prof Whitty is "an independent and respected adviser".

He says the prime minister, the cabinet and Prof Whitty are all "united" in their belief that the best way to tackle Omicron is through the vaccination programme.

He adds that they are "also in agreement that we have to show some caution", for example by taking a lateral flow test before attending large events.

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The Conservative Party chairman says he is "confident" an inquiry into alleged Christmas parties during lockdown last year will show rules were not broken.

Oliver Dowden tells BBC Radio 4's Today programme an "unauthorised" party for the Tory's London mayoral candidate last December was "appalling" and "wrong".

However, he says an inquiry is ongoing into other alleged parties.

He acknowledges there is a "perception", particularly from media coverage that rules were followed - but believes the inquiry will "vindicate the prime minister's assertion that everything happened within the rules".

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Chancellor Rishi Sunak is facing criticism for being in the US when businesses are facing a wave of cancellations and challenges because of the Omicron variant.

He has now cut short his trip - but Conservative Party chairman Oliver Dowden is asked about reports the chancellor did not dial into a meeting with business leaders yesterday.

Dowden tells BBC Breakfast he doesn't know if a meeting took place but the chancellor is returning to the UK today and has been "in constant touch" with the prime minister about how to help the hospitality industry.

He adds that the government knows it is a very challenging time for businesses and that's why it's monitoring the situation "day by day, hour by hour".

Wales' plans for tougher restrictions from 27 December came after the UK reported another record number of daily Covid cases on Thursday.

Another 88,376 cases were confirmed.

England's chief medical officer, Prof Chris Whitty, has said cases of the Omicron variant could rise "incredibly fast", but its peak could subside more quickly than previous waves because of the booster rollout.

Cases began rising at the beginning of November and have surged since the emergence of the highly transmissible variant earlier this month.

However, there is no sign yet of a big rise in hospital admissions and deaths, partly because of the impact of vaccines but also because these figures lag behind cases.

Find out how many cases there are in your area here.

The plans for tougher restrictions in Wales are a “big setback” for businesses, according to the business lobby group the CBI.

From 27 December workplaces will face new measures, including two-metre social distancing and one-way systems.

Nightclubs will also be closed for New Year’s Eve – one of the biggest nights of the year.

Welsh ministers say they will make £60m available for firms impacted by the restrictions.

The Federation of Small Businesses welcomed the cash but demanded "urgent clarity" on whether it would be available to firms that have seen a loss of bookings "at an alarming rate".

Wales would need more funding from central government to introduce further restrictions, the first minister says.

The Welsh government has announced £60m for businesses impacted by its plan to close nightclubs and reintroduce social distancing in workplaces from 27 December.

But Mark Drakeford tells BBC Radio 4’s Today programme to go beyond that Wales would need help from the UK Treasury.

He says there is a “fundamental unfairness” in the system that if UK ministers decide to introduce restrictions in England “money from the Treasury will flow” but if he did the same in Wales “there’s no guarantee at all that will happen”.

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Wales must introduce new restrictions because “the storm of Omicron is coming our way”, the first minister says.

Mark Drakeford tells BBC Radio 4’s Today programme Wales is currently in the “calm before the storm”, with figures stable and hospital admissions falling.

But he says they must prepare now to be hit by Omicron.

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Our main story this morning is the plan for restrictions in Wales from 27 December in response to the Omicron variant.

From that date nightclubs must close and social distancing will be required in shops and businesses.

First Minister Mark Drakeford has also called for people to have a smaller Christmas and avoid meeting "wider circles of friends".

Public Health Wales says a “rapid increase” of Omicron is expected over the coming days and weeks, and officials believe Wales is a few days behind other UK hotspots.

Read the full story.