Plan B: Work from home rules in place in England from today
Plan B was confirmed due to the growing concerns over Omicron
Last updated 27th May 2022
From today, people in England must all "work from home if we can" under the new Plan B rules set out by the Government.
The move has been confirmed due to Omicron variant cases spreading across the UK, with new rules also stating that face masks must be worn on public transport and in some indoor venues.
The official rules say that office workers who can work from home should do so from Monday 13 December, but those who cannot can continue to go into work.
People can go into work if they need access to equipment necessary to perform their role that cannot be accessed at home, or in situations where their role must be completed in-person.
Employers should consider whether home working would be appropriate for workers with mental health or physical health difficulties, or for those facing a challenging environment at home.
The Plan B rules and new work from home measurements only apply to those in England - guidance on Covid in the other UK nations can be found here.
What's the rest of Plan B?
The Government has and will bring in other measures under Plan B in an attempt to slow the spread of Omicron.
On Friday 10 December, face coverings were made compulsory on public transport and in most public indoor venues, such as cinemas, theatres and places of worship.
There will be exemptions in places where it is not practical to wear one, such as when you are eating, drinking or exercising.
From Wednesday 15 December an NHS Covid pass which proves double-jabbed status will be made mandatory for nightclubs, subject to a vote in parliament which will take place on Tuesday 14 December.
If approved, the Covid pass will also be required for settings with large crowds, including:
- Unseated indoor events with 500 or more attendees
- Unseated outdoor events with 4,000 or more attendees
- Any event with 10,000 or more attendees
The new measures are expected to stay in place for six weeks after they've been implemented, with a review after three.
Will the new rules actually slow Omicron?
Scientists advising the Government have said measures need to be taken to slow the spread of the variant, now considered likely to surpass Delta as the dominant global Covid strain.
Professor Neil Ferguson, from Imperial College London, whose data was instrumental to the UK going into lockdown in March 2020, said on Wednesday that "case numbers of Omicron are doubling at least every three days, maybe even every two days at the moment, so it's accelerating very fast".
He said lockdowns are a possibility and cannot be ruled out, but working from home guidance could slow the spread.
"There is a rationale, just epidemiologically, to try and slow this down, to buy us more time principally to get boosters into people's arms, because we do think people who are boosted will have the best level of protection possible, but also to buy us more time to really better characterise the threat," he said.
Find out more info on Plan B and the work from home rule from the Government's website.
Find out what else is changing in 'Plan B':
Face coverings
Face coverings have already become an added feature of our lives since they were reinstated at the beginning of December, but from Friday 10th December face masks will also be needed indoors in places like cinemas and theatres.
Boris Johnson said rules around the wearing of face coverings would be "further extended" to "most public indoor venues" including theatres and cinemas.
The Prime Minister told a press briefing in Downing Street: "There will of course be exemptions where it is not practical, such as when eating, drinking, exercising or singing."
Working from home
Under the rules of "Plan B", the government has reimposed the need to work from home where possible in order to stem the spread of the virus. This guidance comes into place from Monday 13th December.
Nightclubs
Under the government's "Plan B" , COVID passports will become necessary to get into all nightclubs. This is due to the close proximity people would be to each other in the venue and help to reduce the spread of the virus.
Indoor spaces
Indoor settings that have more than 500 people unseated will require a COVID Pass to enter. Examples of settings that would need attendees to have a COVID Pass would include music venues and large receptions.
Outdoor events
Outdoor events are not exempt from using COVID Passes either. Unseated outdoor venues with more than 4,000 people will need people to have a vaccine pass. This includes outdoor music festivals, such as Glastonbury Festival.
Stadiums
COVID Passes will be needed to get into any event that is expecting more than 10,000 people to attend. This would include major sports events such as football matches, as well as music concerts in arenas.
The Prime Minister said: "The NHS Covid pass can still be obtained with two doses but we will keep this under review as the boosters roll out.
"And having taken clinical advice since the emergence of Omicron, a negative lateral flow test will also be sufficient."