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The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) has responded to Health Secretary Sajid Javid's interview on the Andrew Marr show earlier, in which he did not rule out further restrictions before Christmas.

In a statement, BCC's Co-Executive Director Hannah Essex, said: "During this crucial festive trading period, many businesses are already facing the impact of plummeting consumer confidence as a result of the current situation.

She urged the government to "come forward with financial support measures to ensure businesses can survive through the typically quieter months ahead".

"No-one wants to see further restrictions, but if they are deemed necessary to protect public health, [the] government must simultaneously ensure commensurate support is available to affected businesses," she added.

Vijay Tailor, a GP in north-west London, is working as part of team at a mass vaccination centre in Wembley Stadium hoping to give 10,000 people their booster jabs today.

It is one of 3,000 venues across the UK working to deliver first and second jabs - as well as boosters in the run-up to Christmas.

Clinical staff are working alongside St John Ambulance, the army - as well as volunteers acting as runners and marshals - to make sure everyone gets a vaccine.

Dr Tailor says: "The process is running very smoothly.

"My warning to everyone is to keep your social contacts to a minimum so that you're fit and well to meet your loved ones at Christmas - but come and have your booster as well so that your immunity is primed.

"If we can get 10,000 today, that will be excellent."

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The new Omicron variant is going to hit Northern Ireland "like a ton of bricks", the country's deputy first minister warns.

Michelle O'Neill has said modelling presented to Stormont ministers suggests that the region could be facing 30,000 cases a day in a worst-case scenario.

"We know that by the end of the year this will be the dominant strain of Covid, we know that we will peak in the middle of January, we know it is going to spread rapidly," she said.

Plans for new restrictions to be applied after Christmas are expected to be announced on Wednesday.

But Ms O'Neill told the BBC Sunday Politics programme that ministers will act before then if it is deemed necessary.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid has not ruled out bringing in new restrictions - a circuit breaker - before Christmas.

But what exactly is a circuit breaker? For a reminder, here's our video explainer:

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After Health Secretary Sajid Javid refused to rule out further restrictions before Christmas, industry experts have been reacting to the possibility of tighter measures.

Tom Ironside, director of business and regulation at the British Retail Consortium, says: "Non-food retail stores lost an estimated £30bn ($39bn) of sales during the three lockdowns to date.

"Any future restrictions, if required, would inevitably add further pressure... at a time when many are still recovering from previous closures.

"Throughout the pandemic, retailers have prioritised the safety of staff and customers, and they continue to ensure that everyone can shop safely as possible in store."

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Kate Nicholls from UKHospitality, which represents the interests of the hospitality industry, has said further restrictions would be devastating for businesses.

"It's better to trade, even a little bit, than be closed down altogether," she said.

"There are a lot of costs [involved in] closing down sites and then reopening them. Having a fourth lockdown would be the final nail in the coffin for some businesses."

Nicholls said the damage to consumer confidence could be "irreparable", and that the industry was already seeing an impact on bookings in January, February and even at Easter.

"The government said this plan was irreversible, which gave many people reassurance. It's very difficult telling staff you have a stable job for them if you keep closing down on a whim."

Chancellor Rishi Sunak has said the government will do "whatever it takes" to support jobs, but that funding was already available.

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Shadow Health Secretary Wes Streeting says the government should stop “shilly shallying, dithering and delaying” and set out its plan for Covid restrictions over Christmas and into the new year.

He said: "It's often better to act sooner than later because delaying often means severe restrictions for longer."

Streeting said the government has had the latest scientific advice since Thursday.

He said: "The health secretary has been on TV this morning saying on one hand action is needed, but failing to set out the action on the other hand."

Labour would support a plan based on the best scientific advice, Streeting said, adding that the party will be briefed by the scientists advising the government later today.

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As discussion over potential further restrictions continues in the UK, other European countries have already imposed new measures.

Denmark is the latest to do so, with theatres, cinemas and amusement parks there all set to close for the next month.

Cafes and restaurants must close at 23:00, and businesses won't be able to sell alcohol after 22:00.

There are also limits on the number of customers allowed into shops which vary depending on the size of the building.

Despite its relatively small population of about six million people, the country has registered the second highest number of Omicron cases in Europe behind only the UK.

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The main headline from Sajid Javid's appearance on the Andrew Marr show is that he did not rule out new coronavirus measures before Christmas - saying there are "no guarantees" in the pandemic.

He also said:

• Any further restrictions would need to be brought before MPs.
• He felt the public understood that Omicron required "extraordinary actions".
• People should be cautious as they approached the festive season, and should think carefully about what events they attended.
• Advice from Sage - the scientific advisory group - was "sobering", but government ministers should still make their own decisions.

• The impact of Covid on the NHS is "a big challenge" with a large number of staff isolating, but said there was not an easy way to deal with the challenge.

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Of course, it's not just the UK grappling with massive infection figures - yesterday the World Health Organization said Omicron was now in 89 countries.

In the US state of New York, Covid cases have hit a new record for a second consecutive day.

Test results from Friday showed 21,908 new infections, up from 21,027 the previously day. On Monday, it was 8,266.

It’s believed that the positivity rate is now doubling every three days, according to Jay Varma, senior public health adviser to New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio.

“We’ve never seen this before,” he tweeted.

Earlier this week, Mayor de Blasio unveiled plans to tighten vaccine mandates in a city that was once the epicentre of the US Covid outbreak.

The impact of the rising cases in the region can be seen in different ways already. A number of bars and restaurants have closed their doors due to staff shortages, while an outbreak among some of the actors on sketch show Saturday Night Live caused organisers to cancel the live audience.

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Sajid Javid has described the defeat of the Conservatives in the North Shropshire by-election to the Liberal Democrats as a disappointing result.

They had held the seat for nearly 200 years.

When asked by Andrew Marr whose fault by-election result was, he said: "It was our fault. The Conservative Party collectively."

He said they got "a number of things wrong" including the handling of the Owen Paterson affair.

And he said that the recent claims of Christmas parties and gatherings at No 10 during last year's lockdown had not helped.

"But we have now to learn lessons," the health secretary said.

Sajid Javid is asked what needs to change for the government to get back on track after a "week of appalling headlines" for Boris Johnson.

The week has seen a large rebellion by Conservative MPs over Plan B, a by-election defeat, the removal of Simon Case from the parties inquiry and the resignation of Lord Frost.

But the health secretary insists "a lot has gone right".

"We need to learn lessons from those things that have gone wrong, and keep focusing on those things that everyone wants to see, that have gone very well."

He says the country is in a stronger position today heading into Christmas because we have the most successful vaccination and booster programme in Europe.

Javid adds that new anti-viral treatments, testing and the decision to open up in the summer were all successful decisions made by the government.

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On Friday, the UK's top civil servant stepped aside from his role leading an inquiry into Downing Street lockdown parties, after it emerged an event was held in his own office.

Simon Case had been due to report on claims Covid rules were broken at events for staff last year.

The health secretary is asked if the investigation into Downing Street parties will now include Simon Case.

Sajid Javid says Sue Gray, who is now leading the probe, can investigate "what she wants".

He said it is the best way to establish the facts.

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Sajid Javid has acknowledged that the impact of Covid on the NHS is "a big challenge".

He told Andrew Marr that even before Omicron the health service was massively challenged, and that having large number of staff isolating was having an impact on the NHS's workforce.

But he stressed that the need to isolate for those who test positive is "super important".

"There is not an easy way in dealing with these challenges," he added.

Mr Javid says there are "no guarantees" when asked about the possibility of further restrictions.

When Andrew Marr suggests to him that he is not ruling out a circuit breaker or new restrictions before Christmas, Mr Javid said: "There are no guarantees in this pandemic, I don't think.

"At this point we just have to keep everything under review."

Image source, Press Association

Javid says while the advice from Sage is good, his job as health secretary is to challenge and question that advice and its underlying assumptions.

"I don't think it would be appropriate for government to take it verbatim," he says.

Marr says the figures from the scientific advisory group suggest that if no further restrictions are introduced, hospital admissions could peak at between 3,000 and 10,000 a day - and deaths between 600 and 6,000.

Javid says it's a "sobering analysis" and "we take it very seriously".

Sajid Javid says it is time for people to be cautious as we approach the festive season, but asked whether people should go to Christmas parties he said that is an individual choice.

"it is a very difficult challenging time but people are responding to what they are seeing around them," he added.

"We know this thing is spreading rapidly. We know already now that in London, it's around 80% of infections, in England it's around 60% of infections," he added.

He said many of the parties he had been invited to had been cancelled or scaled back, adding: "I think that's true up and down the country."

But he said the situation was not "a lockdown at all by any means".

The health secretary says so far we've learned that Omicron moves very quickly, and that there are a lot more people infected than the numbers suggest.

Infections are doubling every two to three days, he says.

"We know two vaccines are not enough against the variant," he says, adding boosters give excellent protection.

But he says we don't yet know enough about the severity of Omicron.

Image source, Press Association

Turning to restrictions, Health Secretary Sajid Javid says any future plans for further restrictions would be brought to Parliament.

When asked about the impact of the latest political events on potential future restrictions he said: "I think that the British people do understand that this pandemic requires extraordinary actions."

He stresses that the current situation is being assessed and says there is still a lot we don't know about Omicron and that there are gaps in the data.

But he says we must "not let perfection be the enemy of the good".

Health Secretary Sajid Javid is speaking on the Andrew Marr show now, and is asked first about Lord Frost's resignation.

Javid says he's sorry to see him go and that he's been an "outstanding public servant" who has done great things for the UK - not least in "helping get Brexit done".

Lord Frost had said he was resigning over his concerns about the "current direction of travel".