Ahead of a rumoured announcement regarding changes to the current Covid rules in response to the Omicron variant of the virus, Brits are currently unclear on whether to act any differently as a result of the variant, or whether Christmas parties are allowed to go ahead, according to a new poll by Savanta ComRes.
Just half (49%) say the Government’s advice is clear on whether to act differently due to the Omicron variant, with a similar proportion (42%) saying it is unclear. Likewise, for Christmas parties, under half say the guidance is clear on whether they can go ahead (46%), with the same proportion saying they are unclear (46%).
Three in five (60%) say the government guidance on working from home is clear.
Despite this, Government guidance regarding face coverings appears to have had more success. Over three quarters say the current guidance on whether to wear them in shops & supermarkets (77%) and on public transport (78%) is clear, with under one in five saying the advice is unclear for each (19% and 18% respectively).
Likewise, with regards to whether people should get the Covid vaccine, including the booster, over three quarters say the guidance is clear (78%), although a perhaps worryingly high proportion say it’s still unclear whether people should get jabbed (16%).
Chris Hopkins, Political Research Director at Savanta ComRes said, “With the government about to announce a move to Plan B, this latest poll shows that the public feel relatively unclear about the current rules, indicating that a further change is unlikely to increase clarity in what the public can and can’t do.
“While guidance on face coverings and the vaccine is seen to be relatively clear, guidance on whether Christmas parties can go ahead is significantly less so – I can’t think why – and, most importantly, the public still feel in the dark about whether they should be doing things differently due to Omicron, something the government will hope a move to Plan B will fix.”
Leave a Comment