Johnson: I cannot rule out another lockdown in the event of deadly Covid variant

While symptoms are generally less severe than earlier variants, the rate of Covid-19 hospital admissions in England is at the highest since January 2021

(Andrew Matthews/PA)

Boris Johnson has said it would be “irresponsible” to rule out further lockdowns if more deadly coronavirus variants emerge.

The British prime minister continued to say he could not rule out the prospect of taking drastic action again as the nation feels the impact of the new Omicron strain.