Britain could implement COVID-19 'plan B' as early as Thursday - reports

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson looked set to introduce tougher COVID-19 measures for England on Wednesday, including asking people to work from home, in a bid to slow the spread of the Omicron coronavirus variant. Johnson, facing fierce criticism after a video appeared to show that his staff had held a party in Downing Street last year when such festivities were banned, said Omicron was spreading much faster than any other variant. 'The prime minister will hold a COVID press conference at 6pm (1800 GMT),' a spokesperson for Johnson's office said. Sterling fell and investors pared back their bets on a Bank of England interest rate hike next week ahead of an expected announcement that large venues could also require people to show COVID passports as part of a Plan B.