A VIROLOGIST has said it “does not make sense” for UK nations to have different Covid restrictions after New Year’s Eve celebrations were given the go ahead in England.

University of Brighton scientist Dr Sarah Pitt said she fears people from Scotland and Wales, where curbs on hospitality and nightclubs are in place, will travel to England to mark the new year.

She told LBC Radio: “If people can’t go to a New Year’s Eve party in Wales or Scotland, they’ll just tip over the borders into England, won’t they, thus potentially taking the virus and spreading it and then taking it back home.

“So, it makes sense to have one set of measures across the whole country and I think it does make sense to have some measures to try and stop the spread of the virus at this point.”

On Monday, Ministers in England announced that there will be no new coronavirus restrictions imposed before the end of 2021.

But Health Secretary Sajid Javid suggested that the Prime Minister and cabinet were leaving the door open for fresh measures to be potentially introduced in January.

Dr Pitt said the introduction of “a few measures” would help to curb the spread of the Omicron variant.

She said the “seriously infectious virus” is “putting some people very seriously in hospital, and some people are dying”.

She said: “I know personally more people who’ve been off sick with Covid in the last month than the whole of the pandemic put together.

“So, although there is a balance between the economy and health, they’re not mutually exclusive – it’s not one or the other.

“We’ve actually got to take the virus seriously, and I’m not talking about full lockdowns, I’m just talking about a few measures for some things to just try and stop the spread of this really horrible, nasty virus, just at this moment.”

The Health Secretary has urged people to “remain cautious” during celebrations to mark the arrival of 2022, recommending partygoers take a test and stay outside where possible to minimise the risk of infection.

He said: “Please remain cautious and when we get into the new year, of course, we will see then whether we do need to take any further measures, but nothing more until then, at least.”

Have you got a story for us? Email news@theargus.co.uk or contact us here.

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to keep up with all the latest news.

Sign up to our newsletter to get updates sent straight to your inbox.

You can also call us on 01273 021 400.