Watch again: Boris Johnson's No10 briefing after Omicron variant found in UK

27 November 2021, 16:36 | Updated: 27 November 2021, 19:16

Boris Johnson hosts a press conference as Omicron Covid-19 variant discovered in UK | Watch Live

Boris Johnson announced a raft of new measures at a press briefing after two cases of the Omicron Covid variant were detected.

Both cases and their households have been told to isolate.

However, the Government has stressed more work needs to be done to fully understand Omicron, which has been linked to southern Africa.

Watch the press conference again at the top of this article

It has already been announced that travellers from Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia and Angola will face travel restrictions from Sunday.

Health secretary Sajid Javid again pleaded with people to get their vaccines and booster shots, if eligible, and said Omicron's emergence is "deeply concerning".

Read more: Two UK cases of Omicron Covid variant detected with ‘link to travel to southern Africa’

Read more: Suspected Omicron Covid case found in Germany

Boris Johnson appeared at the Downing Street press briefing with Professor Chris Whitty, the chief medical officer for England, and Sir Patrick Vallance, the chief science adviser.

Omicron, which was designated a "variant of concern" by the World Health Organisation, has been detected in Nottingham and Brentwood.

The latter was linked to the Nottingham case, which itself is linked to travel to South Africa.

However, it is unclear when the two people became infected or what their full travel history is.

The UK is the second European country, after Belgium, to have found a case in its borders.