Sajid Javid says there are "no guarantees" in the pandemic when asked if he can rule out new restrictions before Christmas
The health secretary says ministers are challenging scientific data and considering wider factors before bringing in more measures
London Mayor Sadiq Khan says more restrictions such as social distancing and limits on household mixing are "inevitable"
The hospitality industry has warned that more restrictions could be a "nail in the coffin" for many firms
Brexit minister Lord Frost resigned on Saturday saying he hopes the government will not be tempted by "coercive measures" seen elsewhere
Hundreds of extra sites have opened across the UK this weekend to deliver booster jabs
It comes after 10,000 new Omicron cases are confirmed in the UK and London declares a major incident
Germany is to ban British tourists and business travellers from entering the country from tonight
The Netherlands is entering a strict lockdown over Christmas amid fears about Omicron
Thanks for joining us. Today's contributors were Maria Zaccaro, Jo Couzens, Yaroslav Yukov, Mal Siret and Hamish Mackay. The live page was edited by Emma Owen and Gareth Evans.
As ever, you can follow any major developments on the news site - just go to the front page. And for more in-depth coverage, you can go to our dedicated coronavirus section, here.
Image source, PA MediaAnd here’s a reminder of today’s main UK headlines.
Image source, Getty ImagesWe’ll be ending our live coverage for today shortly but, before we go, here’s a reminder of today’s main coronavirus headlines from around the world.
As we mentioned earlier, a further 82,886 Covid cases were reported across the UK yesterday. That takes the seven-day average for cases to 78,229 per day.
Last week saw three consecutive record days for daily cases in the UK and that trend is expected to continue next week.
Despite the high cases numbers experienced across the UK, deaths remain stable, with the seven-day average now 111.
However, death statistics tend to lag about two weeks behind cases, as it takes time for an infected person to fall seriously ill.
Meanwhile, 49% of the population has now received a third or booster vaccine, while 90% of people have had at least one dose.
Anna Holligan
BBC News Hague correspondent
Larger-than-life inflatable Santas bob outside a Christmas tree stall, enticing customers into one of the few places allowed to stay open in the Netherlands, which is now wholly locked down.
The window-shopping students I met responded to the closure of bars, restaurants and all non-essential shops with frustration and resignation.
It feels like a really bad deja vu, one told me. His girlfriend is finding it difficult to accept the pause in what would normally be a packed festive calendar.
George, a chef in The Hague told me he will be going into work tomorrow but only to throw away all the fresh food they were planning to serve.
The Dutch PM described this lockdown as an "unavoidable" response to Omicron.
But his critics point to what was perceived by some as the mismanagement of the Delta strain and relatively slow rollout of the booster vaccination programme. The over-60s have only just been invited to get their extra shots.
Across Europe this Christmas, coming together is becoming harder, and riskier, than anyone would have wished.
An additional 12,133 confirmed cases of the Omicron variant of Covid-19 have been reported across the UK, according to the UK Health Security Agency.
This brings the total confirmed cases of the variant in the UK to 37,101.
However, the true number of Omicron cases is likely to be significantly higher.
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Image source, EPAThousands of demonstrators have taken to the streets of Brussels to protest against coronavirus measures, including the need to show a Covid pass to access bars and restaurants.
Covid passes are issued to people who have been vaccinated.
"We think the Covid safe ticket is discriminatory," one protester told Reuters news agency, adding that Belgians should not have their "freedoms" curtailed for refusing jabs.
Police estimated that about 3,500 people attended Sunday's march. Many waved flags and carried signs reading "I am free, you are free, we are free" and "no to mandatory vaccination".
Belgium has reported almost two million cases of coronavirus and 27,895 Covid-related deaths since the start of the pandemic.
Image source, Getty ImagesNorthern Ireland's Covid-19 booster vaccination programme has opened to over-18s who received their second dose at least three months ago.
The chief medical officer says Omicron could be the most dominant variant in NI by Christmas and Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill has said it will hit the country "like a tonne of bricks".
Health trusts are operating walk-in booster vaccination clinics, with up-to-date information on each trust's social media platforms, the Department of Health says.
Over-30s can currently book a slot online, external, while bookings are expected to be made available for people in the 18 to 29 age group in the next few days.
A further 82,886 coronavirus cases have been reported in the UK - as the more transmissible Omicron variant continues to surge around the country.
That figure is down on yesterday's total, which was over 90,000, but significantly up on this time last week
There have also been a further 45 deaths recorded within 28 days of a positive Covid test.
Image source, EPAWales is likely to see a "tsunami" of Covid cases, according to a public health official.
Current plans to tackle the Omicron variant in Wales may not be enough, a leading government adviser has said.
Public Health Wales' Dr Giri Shankar says further restrictions could be needed.
He adds that Wales is "likely to see a tsunami of cases" in the coming weeks.
The first minister has already said that other restrictions could be introduced while nightclubs will close from 27 December.
With the furlough scheme having come to end in September, questions have been raised as to how nightclub staff are going to paid.
But Mark Drakeford says: "We will look as a government to see if there's any help we can give that sector to support people who would otherwise be laid off.
"We are certainly not gambling with anybody's livelihood. We've put £60m on the table."
Image source, EPABooster jabs given in England have hit a record high, with more than 830,000 administered on Saturday.
A record 906,656 vaccine doses were given in total, including first and second jabs, NHS England said. Of those, 830,403 were booster jabs.
A rate of around one million a day is needed if every adult is to be offered a booster jab by the end of the year.
Image source, ReutersMore than half of new Covid-19 cases in the Republic of Ireland are believed to be Omicron cases, meaning it is now the Republic's dominant variant.
Ireland's Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan urged people to get vaccinated and reduce their social contacts.
He said it had taken less than two weeks for Omicron to become dominant in Ireland, which revealed "just how transmissible this variant is".
A further 5,124 confirmed cases of Covid-19 were reported on Sunday.
From Monday, hospitality venues, cinemas and theatres will have to close at 20:00.
Read more about the new measures in Ireland, here.
Image source, EPAFootball fans clashed with police ahead of a game in Rotterdam
As we've been reporting here, the Netherlands has today entered a strict lockdown that is expected to remain in force until at least mid-January.
All non-essential shops are closed, as well as bars and other public venues, and only two guests are permitted per household - four over the holidays - leaving Christmas plans in disarray.
In the capital, Amsterdam, streets and squares usually filled with people at this time of year shopping and socialising were noticeably quiet.
Image source, EPAIn Rotterdam, hundreds of people gathered outside a football stadium ahead of a game between local team Feyenoord and rivals Ajax Amsterdam.
Fireworks and bottles were thrown at police, who used water cannon to disperse the crowds. Several arrests were made.
Fans have been banned from attending sporting events in the Netherlands since the end of November in an effort to limit the spread of Omicron.
Image source, ReutersIsraelis are already barred from travelling to France, Ireland, Norway, Spain, Finland, and Sweden among other nations
In Israel, the health ministry has recommended banning Israelis from travelling to the United States in what would be a major step.
It has also recommended adding several European countries including Italy, Germany and Portugal to its red list for international travel. The UK and most of Africa is already on Israel's red list.
"European countries are either in lockdown or are heading that way," Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said, adding that for Israel "time is running out".
Such measures would have to be approved by parliament.
Image source, ReutersUS infectious disease expert Dr Anthony Fauci says travelling increases the risk of spreading coronavirus, even among those people who are fully vaccinated.
"There's no doubt about this, [Omicron] has an extraordinary capability of spreading," he told NBC News' Meet the Press show on Sunday.
Dr Fauci, who advises the White House on Covid, says the variant is now "raging through the world".
"Our hospitals, if things look like they're looking now, are going to be very stressed," he warns.
"The difference between a vaccinated and boosted person who has an infection, and someone who has an infection who has never been vaccinated - it's a major difference with regard to the risk of severity," Dr Fauci adds.
More than 77% of the eligible US population has received at least one Covid vaccination, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, external.
Image source, Getty ImagesShoppers on Princes Street in Edinburgh wore masks on the last Saturday before Christmas
As we just reported, the leaders of the devolved nations are due to meet later today as concern grows over the spread of Omicron.
In Scotland, senior officials are suggesting that tougher Covid restrictions could be introduced around the new year.
Prof Jason Leitch, the country's national clinical director, said it was better to "act harder" and "early" while Scotland Office Minister Iain Stewart has said "big decisions" may need to be made.
Scots are currently being advised to reduce their socialising and limit gatherings to three households.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon previously warned that Omicron was the dominant strain of the virus and a "tsunami" was beginning to hit Scotland.
Cabinet Office Minister Steve Barclay will chair a meeting between the government's emergency committee, Cobra, and the leaders of the devolved nations at 17:00 GMT.
Confirmation of the meeting comes shortly after the Health Security Agency announced that 12,133 additional cases of the Omicron variant had been reported across the UK.
This brings the total of confirmed Omicron cases in the UK to 37,101.
Nick Triggle
Health Correspondent
Introducing restrictions buys time, but it does not solve the problem.
The risk is you just delay the inevitable because you get a rebound in infections once they are lifted.
So the question that has to be asked is, what will be done with the time that a short circuit breaker would provide if it was introduced.
It would certainly allow more boosters to be given. But more than 80% of the most vulnerable have already been boosted, so the gains from that are nowhere near what they were for last winter’s lockdown when the vaccine programme was in its infancy.
If admissions were to rise as quickly as some of the most pessimistic modelling suggests, restrictions could stop the NHS being overwhelmed by flattening the peak.
This perhaps remains the strongest argument in favour of a circuit breaker given the uncertainty for the moment over how much serious illness will be caused by this Omicron wave.
And all of that, of course, needs to be weighed against the costs to society, the economy and wider mental health.
You can read more from Nick on what tougher measures will achieve, here.
Image source, PA MediaIf you’re just joining us, here are the key developments so far today:
Image source, PA MediaAs we've reported, the British Chambers of Commerce and the British Retail Consortium have been calling for more financial support from the government for hard-hit businesses.
In response, the government says it will continue to "engage constructively" with businesses as measures to control Omicron take effect.
A spokesperson for the Treasury said: "The Chancellor has spoken to a range of business and industry leaders in recent days.
"We recognise how important the festive period is for so many businesses and the government will continue to engage constructively on how it can best provide ongoing support to the businesses and sectors affected."