Health Secretary Sajid Javid is giving an update on Covid to MPs in the Commons
Javid says that while initial cases of Omicron were linked to international travel, the variant is now spreading in "multiple regions of England"
He says there appears to be a shorter period with the new variant between being infected and becoming infectious
Omicron could become the UK's dominant variant within weeks, says infectious diseases expert Prof Paul Hunter
He estimates it's likely that there are already more than than 1,000 cases - three times more than the 336 confirmed on Monday
Travellers say their Christmas plans are "up in the air" as the UK brings in extra pre-departure tests for arrivals from Tuesday
Nigeria criticises the UK's decision to add it to the red list - describing the restrictions on African countries as "travel apartheid"
South Africa is preparing its hospitals for more admissions amid a fourth wave driven by the new variant, its president says
The UK announces another 51,459 coronavirus cases and a further 41 people have died
A further 51,459 coronavirus cases have been recorded in the UK, according to the latest daily figures., external
Some 41 people have died within 28 days of a positive coronavirus test, the government figures show.
Figures can be lower at the start of the week due to a delay in data being recorded over the weekend.
Image source, Kate Freed/PA WireA couple who spent their honeymoon in South Africa after rescheduling their wedding four times have said their experience of quarantining on their return has been “awful”.
Kate Freed, 29, and husband Alex, 30, spoke to the PA News agency on the third day of their 10-day quarantine period in the UK.
The couple, from London, say they returned on 2 December and it took almost six hours to get from the plane to the hotel near to Heathrow Airport.
“It was the most unorganised mess ever. People were crying. It just seemed like something from a film, it was a bit mad," Alex says.
They also say the food at the hotel has been “inedible”.
"You're paying serious money and... it's not substantial meals,” Alex says.
The couple are paying £2,285 for the 11-night stay, after South Africa was added to the UK’s red list because of concern over the Omicron variant, which was first identified there.
Image source, Kate Freed/PA WireA further 90 cases of the Omicron variant of coronavirus are recorded in the UK taking the total to 336, the UK Health Security Agency says.
The total includes 261 in England, 71 in Scotland, 4 in Wales and none in Northern Ireland.
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Image source, Getty ImagesCanadian prime minister Justin Trudeau's new rules for international travellers are not going down well, leaving many Canadians stranded in southern Africa or forced to spend hours in third countries on their way home.
The root of the problem is that Canadians are not allowed to show the results of coronavirus tests taken in southern Africa.
Instead they must obtain a molecular test from another country.
According to the Globe and Mail newspaper, this has resulted in several citizens being forced to make lengthy stops in Ethiopia - a regional travel hub - on their way home, in spite of a federal travel advisory on account of the country's civil war.
Once there, families have spoken about having to leave the airport to take their tests.
Canada is one of the few places in the world with the third-country policy, which the World Health Organization has called "disappointing".
The government has granted a temporary exemption , external but only for passengers on Lufthansa flights making a stop in Frankfurt airport in Germany. Passengers on those flights can take a test in South Africa.
Image source, Getty ImagesAs we mentioned earlier, concerns over the price of tests have been raised again after the the government announced people arriving in the UK would need to take a test before they travel - as well as a test on the second day after they land.
Now trade body the Laboratory and Testing Industry Organisation - which represents testing companies and labs - says the government's website to find Covid travel tests, external "is not serving its purpose" and companies with misleading prices are "constantly reappearing" on the website.
Which? told the BBC that travellers were being "badly let down by a dysfunctional PCR testing market", which had left them "exposed to extortionate prices and unreliable providers".
The Department for Health said the average price of PCR tests from the 400-plus firms listed was "now under £45 with many available for £20".
However, the BBC found that although PCR tests can be bought for between £15 to £20 on the government website, people would be required to travel to a specific location, which could be many miles away, to take one.
The majority of postal service and home testing kits currently cost between £59 to £79.
The government says it monitors issues raised about testing firms.
Image source, Getty ImagesWe've already heard about how negative Covid tests are now being accepted as an alternative to vaccine passports in Scotland. But what are the rules in the other UK nations?
In Northern Ireland a vaccine passport scheme is in place, applying to venues including nightclubs, licensed hospitality premises, cinemas, theatres and conference halls.
People can either show proof of vaccination, a negative lateral flow test taken in the previous 48 hours, or a positive PCR test taken in the previous 30-180 days.
The vaccination passport scheme includes a grace period until 13 December before fixed penalty notices will be issued.
In Wales, people need to show their NHS Covid Pass, external to gain entry to venues including nightclubs, cinemas, theatres and concert halls.
Over-16s who have been fully vaccinated in Wales or England can use the pass to prove their status, but it's only compulsory for over-18s. It's also available to people who've had a negative lateral flow test in the previous 48 hours.
In England the government dropped a plan for an English vaccine passport earlier this year.
However, people from England can use their NHS Covid Pass, external as a vaccine passport in other parts of the UK, because it contains records of vaccination (including boosters) and/or previous positive tests.
For more on vaccine passports, read our explainer here.
Image source, Duncan BinneA British man living in France says he's brought his trip to the UK forward as he fears that tighter restrictions could stop him getting back to see his children over Christmas.
Duncan Binne, 50, who lives just outside of Paris, has not seen his two children who live in Reading and Berkshire for two-and-a-half years.
"I was due to come home later in the month but I'm moving all my travel forward," he says, adding that he fears more restrictions on travel could be brought in.
He says: "We've got lots of catching up to do. I just want to be able to go for a beer with my kids over Christmas, even though they're grown up, I really am missing them.
"I went for a test this morning and hopefully will get my results his afternoon. I've been particularly careful, I've not been to office in over a week, stayed off transport. I've had to pay for testing as in France if you're symptom free you must pay, whereas if you have symptoms, it's free."
He adds: "I'd be more in favour of a system like in Germany where the unvaccinated are the ones who run into difficulty. I've made a lot of sacrifices over the past two years; I just want some normality."
All workers in New York City will need to get the vaccine if they want to work, the city's mayor has said.
Public sector employers already have to be inoculated - but now private sector companies must make the coronavirus vaccine mandatory for their employees.
The mandate - which goes into effect on 27 December - is aimed at curbing the spread of Covid during the winter months.
"Omicron is here, and it looks like it’s very transmissible," Mayor Bill de Blasio told the MSNBC news network.
He called the mandate “a pre-emptive strike” against the new variant. At least eight Omicron cases have been detected in the state so far.
New York already has mandates in place for city workers and hospital and nursing staff, as well as for indoor dining, entertainment and gyms.
Close to 90% of eligible adults in the city have had at least one dose of the vaccine.
Correction 2 March: This post originally included a picture of a protester in New York City to illustrate opposition to the vaccine mandate. However as the protester was carrying an offensive placard, we have removed the picture from the post.
Image source, Getty ImagesSainsbury's has asked workers to postpone their Christmas parties until the new year following the emergence of the Omicron variant.
The supermarket said the situation was "very delicate", adding "we need to do everything we can to make Christmas safe" for staff and customers.
Sainsbury's boss Simon Roberts said the firm "will make sure no-one is out of pocket as a result of this decision".
Other businesses are choosing to scale back festive gatherings this year over fears that the more transmissible Omicron strain could cause a spike in staff absences - but last week ministers urged firms not to cancel their Christmas parties.
Image source, GoogleA primary school in Renfrewshire has been forced to close for a week after a suspected outbreak of the Omicron variant of coronavirus.
Parents of children at Todholm Primary in Lochfield Road, Paisley, were told by email about the closure on Sunday.
Pupils have been switched to remote learning all this week until Friday.
Renfrewshire Council says the decision had been taken as they were unable to maintain necessary staffing levels.
Scotland has had 48 confirmed cases of the Omicron variant of coronavirus so far.
Image source, Matthew O'TooleA British man whose children live in Spain says travel restrictions have put his plans to bring them to the UK for Christmas "up in the air".
Matthew O'Toole, 46, from Maidstone in Kent is due to fly to Faro in Portugal to collect his two daughters, who live near the border, and fly back with them the same day.
Coronavirus travel restrictions mean his two eight and 12-year-old girls have not been to the UK since Christmas 2019.
Matthew says a lack of government guidance means he does not know if they will have to take Covid tests to cross between Spain and Portugal.
He also says it is not clear if he can show a single fit to fly test as he is travelling there and back in the same day, or if there will be others he needs to do.
“I'm looking at 14 tests just to pick my kids up to drop them off again,” he says. “If they let us do lateral flow they’re between £25 and £40 but PCR are £80 each.”
“It's very up in the air, it's just so expensive - we don't know how many test there'll be. It'll devastate the girls and ruin my Christmas if we can't be together."
Image source, Getty ImagesThree cases of the new Omicron variant of Covid-19 have been identified in the West Midlands.
Sandwell Council says it has found one case and the infected person and their contacts were already self-isolating before it was confirmed.
Warwickshire's director of public health confirmed two county cases of the variant, linked to overseas travel.
There are now more than 200 confirmed UK cases of Omicron, according to the UK Health and Security Agency.
But earlier we heard from Prof Paul Hunter, an expert in infectious diseases from the University of East Anglia, who estimates there is likely to already be more than 1,000 cases of Omicron in the UK.
South Africa is now heading “into a fourth wave of Covid-19 infections”, President Cyril Ramaphosa has warned.
"Over the last week, the number of daily infections has increased five-fold," he said in a statement earlier, external, adding that the spike is being driven by the Omicron variant.
Last week, South Africa's daily infections surged to more than 16,000 on Friday from about 2,300 on Monday.
But the rise in cases also seems to have prompted more people to get vaccinated in the last week.
Image source, Andrew Parsons / No 10 Downing StreetDowning Street has said it is planning to have a Christmas party for staff this year.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson's spokesman said: "We haven't confirmed any dates at the moment.
"I think there is an intention to have a Christmas party this year."
This comes amid a row over a No 10 Christmas party held during last year’s Covid restrictions (see our 08:56 post).
It took place on 18 December, with a source telling the BBC "several dozen" people attended.
Covid restrictions at the time banned such events - but Johnson, who was not at the party, said no coronavirus rules were broken. However, the government has refused to explain how party-goers complied.
Image source, EPAItaly has beefed up its measures to curb a wave of Covid infections by introducing new rules that target unvaccinated people
Just joining us? Here's a round-up of the main coronavirus headlines today:
Image source, Getty ImagesSo far, in South Africa, most people infected are young and their symptoms have been mild.
There is some suggestion that the variant could be causing some slightly different symptoms to Delta - including aches and pains, and no loss of taste or smell - but it's too early to say for certain.
At the moment, the World Health Organization says there is no evidence that symptoms of Omicron are different to those of other variants.
That means a new cough, a fever and loss of taste or smell are still the main three symptoms to look out for.
Hospitals in South Africa are seeing more young people admitted with more serious symptoms - but many are unvaccinated or have had only one dose.
This suggests that getting two doses and a booster dose is a good way of protecting against disease caused by the new variant, as well as all other variants.
We are just hearing the Health Secretary Sajid Javid is going to make a statement on the latest Covid developments in the Commons later this afternoon.
It follows decisions over the weekend to require pre-departure tests for people travelling to the UK as part of the effort to contain the Omicron variant.
We don't know what he's expected to say, but will bring you live updates from that statement later.
Schools in Uganda have been closed for 20 months now because of the pandemic and this could have a long-term impact on many lives there.
Our reporter Patience Atuhaire spoke to father-of-12 Fred Ssegawa.
Ten of his 12 children have been caught up in one of the world's longest school shutdowns due to strict coronavirus measures, and they may never go back.
"I had wanted all my children to complete secondary school, at least. But I don't think that will be possible," he says.
Image source, PA MediaThe number of UK hotel rooms available for quarantine for arrivals from red list countries is "rapidly expanding", according to the Department of Health and Social Care.
“We have doubled the number of hotel rooms available from Monday and will continue to increase availability on a daily basis," a spokesperson said.
It comes as another country - Nigeria - went on the UK's red list today. There are 11 countries - all in Africa - on the UK's red list. The only people allowed to enter the UK from these countries are UK or Irish nationals, or UK residents. They have to pay for and self-isolate in a pre-booked government-approved hotel for 10 days.
But some people have been unable to book rooms in government approved hotels because of capacity.
The government is advising passengers not to travel to the UK from red list countries unless they've booked a quarantine hotel package.
Read more: What are the new Covid rules for travelling to the UK?
Philippa Roxby
Health reporter, BBC News
Scientists who’ve analysed the variant say they are worried by what they see in the lab. Omicron has more mutations than any other variants and they’re different too.
This could mean it’s more infectious, causes more serious illness and is better at evading vaccines than previous variants.
But none of this is certain. It will take time for the true threat from Omicron to be assessed as cases are detected and monitored across the world.
We've answered more of your questions about coronavirus here.