Strict new rules under Covid measures designed to halt the spread of a new Omicron variant could see vaccinated people in England face fines of up to £10,000.

People who have been in contact with a Omicron coronavirus case will be required to self-isolate for 10 days under new measures regardless of how many vaccine jabs they have had.

Other new rules include mandatory wearing of face masks in shops and on public transport in England, stricter testing requirements for travel.

Confirmed UK Omicron variant cases

£10,000 fine under new Omicron variant measures

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: "We're going to be throwing everything at it, in order to ensure that everyone eligible is offered that booster in just over two months.”

Anybody who has been in contact with a case will be contacted by NHS Test and Trace.

People who refuse to follow the guidance could be hit with a five-figure fine, reports The Mirror.

The penalty for refusing to stay inside when identified start at £1,000 with the possibility of rising to £10,000 for repeat offenders.

Covid concerns over Christmas

Dr Harries had earlier told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that even if “vaccines appear to be effective, but we find that the variant is more highly transmissible, having lowish grade infection, but in very large numbers of the population, (it) could still be a significant impact on our hospitals.

“And, of course, our behaviours in winter and particularly around Christmas, we tend to socialise more, so I think all of those will need to be taken into account.”

She added: “If we all decrease our social contacts a little bit, actually that helps to keep the variant at bay.”

She suggested “being careful, not socialising when we don’t particularly need to” and getting a booster jab.