katie prescott, bbc news.tion abta spoke to me earlier and asked the goverment for more support for the sector. the government needs to recognise the impact this will have on travellers and the industry as well. this is a sectorjust about beginning to get back on its feet, we have had two big changes to travel rules within a week, we understand there may be scientific and medical reasons why we need to do that, the government needs to step up and recognise the impact this may have on travel and look afresh at the support for the travel industry and those who might need it. what support would you like to see? the last time we had predeparture testing in place, furlough was still running, furlough could be brought back and a specific grant programme that those in the travel industry would be able to apply for so we are not asking for something broadbrush and sweeping, to stay forever, we recognise the government says these measures are meant to be temporary but i think their impact could be such that we will nee

our business correspondent, katie prescott reports. katie prescott, reports.ing. only a few days ago, the transport secretary told the telegraph, "holidaymakers won't be asked to take "pre—departure covid tests." now, pre—departure testing has arrived as the new variant of the virus spreads. we have also decided to require pre—departure tests. that's for all inward travellers. that will be affected from 4am on tuesday and they will be required that will be affective from 4am on tuesday and they will be required a maximum of 48 hours before the departure time. we've been clear that we will take action if it is necessary. but it is important that, whilst we are introducing these new border measures today, that to remember that vaccinations, remember, they are our first line of defence and the booster programme, the expansion of the booster programme is hugely important. from monday, nigeria will be added to the red list. only uk citizens will be able to enter the country from nigeria and they'll have to pay to quarantine on arrival. the problem is there might no

katie prescott, bbc news.ency has confirmed 86 additional confirmed cases of the omicron variant of coronavirus, bringing the total in the uk to 246. our health correspondent katharine da costa reports on the spread of the variant here and worldwide. scientists around the world are working quickly to gather evidence about the new omicron variant. is it more infectious? can it dodge immunity? does it cause more serious illness? the first pieces of the puzzle are starting to come together. early data from south africa — where omicron's now dominant — suggests it's spreading more rapidly than previous waves, and it's more likely to re—infect people who've already had covid. scientists say most cases have been mild so far and there may be early signs vaccines are keeping people out of hospital. a large proportion of people that have been admitted have not been vaccinated, so it's the same story as what we have known before from vaccines, it seems. and the story is that vaccines protect against severe disease and d

katie prescott, bbc news.ke to me earlier and emphasised that there is an awful lot we still do not know about the omicron variant. there�*s an awful lot of uncertainty regarding the potential impact in the medium term future of the omicron variant but what we do know is there is now increasing evidence from south africa that it�*s extremely widespread there and that the reinfection rates, the rate at which the variant is infecting people who have already been infected with other versions of coronavirus is higher. that�*s something that�*s new and different compared to the other variants. it�*s that increased risk which means it�*s more likely that highly vulnerable portions of the population here are likely to have greater risk posed to themselves, we had largely protected them through a combination of natural infection and vaccination, mainly the latter. some of those protections will likely disappear but we do not know for sure. in terms of the impact of the omicron variant, we keep hearing it is mild and i

katie prescott, bbc news.nts in the coronavirus pandemic. denmark has become the latest country to see protests against new restrictions, brought in to slow the spread of coronavirus. confirmed cases of the omicron variant in denmark have tripled in the last 48 hours. there have also been protests in brussels by thousands who oppose belgium�*s covid—i9 pass, as well as plans to make vaccinations compulsory for healthcare workers and firefighters. it was a largely peaceful march, but some protesters threw fireworks and police used water cannon in one location. a special repatriation flight carrying around 280 passengers will fly from mozambique to lisbon today. many found themselves stranded in the country after the eu suspended air connections with seven southern african countries. the former us senator and presidential candidate bob dole has died, aged 98. the elizabeth dole foundation announced that he passed away in his sleep early this morning. in february, it was revealed that he had been diagnosed with l

katie prescott, bbc news. you're watching bbc news.ency says there have been 86 additional confirmed cases of the 0micron variant of coronavirus, bringing the total in the uk to around 246. the bbc�*s health correspondent katherine de costa explains what uk scientists know about this new variant so far. early data from south africa suggests infections are spreading more quickly than in previous ways, and there's a high risk of reinfection among those who already had covid. most cases are mild, but it's early days. confirmed cases are low, but they are rising, and health officials say they're not all linked to travel. that suggests that there is some community transmission. it's difficult to know if it will take off delta here in the uk. over 80% of the over 12s are double jab. a third are boosted. the government says its current measures are enough to slow the spread. we might find out in the next few days how our antibodies control or neutralise the variant, but it may take several weeks to gather enough real—world data to see how the

katie prescott, bbc news.viser professor mark woolhouse has been talking about if the travel restrictions are likely to make much of a difference to the spread of the omicron variant. i think that may be a case of shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted. if omicron is here in the uk, and it certainly is, if there's community transmission in the uk, and it certainly looks that way, then it's that community transmission that will drive the next wave. the cases that are being imported are important, we want to detect those and isolate any positive cases that we find, as we would for any case anywhere. but i think it's too late to make a material difference to the course of the omicron wave, if we're going to have one. our political correspondent, ione wells, is here. what is the government are saying about the thinking behind this strategy? fix. about the thinking behind this strate: ? �* , , ., strategy? a mixed response from government _ strategy? a mixed response from government this _ strategy? a m

katie prescott, bbc news.r the government has said it's detected more than 250 confirmed of the omnicon variant in the uk. a short time ago i spoke to our health correspondent katharine da costa who outlined where the cases had been found. the uk health security agency updates the number of confirmed cases of omicron in the uk so there have been an extra 86 confirmed cases, of those 68 were in england and 18 in scotland so that brings the overall total to 246 in the uk so while cases are ticking up they are still small numbers, some linked to travel and there is also early signs of it spreading in communities but it's too soon to say whether this variant will take off in other countries. it's important to remember the uk is already seeing more than 40,000 new cases of delta every day so while the early data coming out of south africa shows it spreading more quickly than previous waves and that there is a high risk of reinfection from those who have already had covid, it's too soon to say what that will mean fo

here's our business correspondent, katie prescott.—a—lifetime holidays to snowy destinations. people flying to lapland for these christmas breaks are now desperate for information from the travel agent who organised them. it's the predeparture test, you know, the questions are, you know, what happens if any of us test positive in the resort? what happens? where do we go? are we stuck here? who do we go to? it's just that whole loss of confidence again. travellers contacting the bbc say it's all adding to uncertainty around going away. we know we have to take a predeparture test so the fact we have to take one to come back to the uk, that in itself wouldn't deter me from making the journey in the first place. i suppose it'sjust the accumulative nature of all the different things you've got to do plus the overarching anxiety that you're on an aircraft for, in my case, just under two hours. it's a major blow at a sensitive time according to the travel industry. we believe that this will be a significant setback for demand this winter. re

katie prescott, bbc news.ency says there have been 86 additional confirmed cases of the omicron variant of coronavirus, bringing the total in the uk to 246. 0ur health correspondent katharine da costa is with me. katharine, when are we likely to know more about this variant? scientists in south africa and the uk are working as fast as possible to gather evidence to help inform decisions on how we respond to omicron. early data from south africa suggests infections are spreading more quickly than in previous waves and there is a high risk of reinfection among those who have already had covid. most cases are mild but it is early days. here in the uk confirmed cases are low but they are rising and health officials say they are not all linked to travel, suggesting there is some community transmission. it is some community transmission. it is difficult to know if it will take off and outcompete delta here in the uk. 0ver off and outcompete delta here in the uk. over 80% of the over 12s are double—jabbed, a third ar

our business correspondent katie prescott reports. happy memories of holidays gone by.changes to travel rules, he�*s thinking of cancelling their upcoming trip to tenerife. we thought one was manager but they want another one 48 hours before your return. a lot of it is the uncertainty as well. do you go on holiday and something changes dramatically again? and it�*s those sorts of concerns that are worrying the travel industry. we believe this would be a significant setback for demand this winter, real impacts on christmas. i think we'll see people now cancelling or postponing travel plans. and for a sector that hasn't had any revenue for 18 months, give or take a few months over the summer period, it's really significant indeed. the airlines do not make money in the winter, and so we've got a really difficult stretch ahead of us now. at london�*s heathrow airport this morning, travellers were pragmatic about the new testing requirements. yeah, that definitely, obviously, adds some inconvenience to myjourney, but i totally understand it. i used to do that anywayjust to c

katie prescott, looked at again in three weeks. on december20. katie prescott, bbc news.rs of 6—year—old arthur labinjo—hughes are to have their prison sentences reviewed, after claims they were not long enough. the attorney—general will look again at the punishments given to arthur's father and stepmother. the prime minister is expected to announce an inquiry into arthur's death later today. simon jones reports. a little boy subjected to spiteful and sadistic cruelty by the couple who were supposed to be caring for him. an tustin described in court as a manipulative liar, was given a life sentence with a minimum term of 29 years for murder. —— emma tustin. after�*s father, thomas hughes, branded pitiless, got 21 years for manslaughter. thejudge, mrjustice manslaughter. the judge, mrjustice michael walker, manslaughter. thejudge, mrjustice michael walker, said it had been "without doubt one of the most distressing and disturbing cases i have had to deal with". but the solihull mp on social media said the sentences were too lenient. there is a --alable sentences were too l

our business correspondent katie prescott is in romford, in essex.branded with west ham and tottenham and christmas wreaths. the hope is that shoppers will also be getting into the christmas spirit today and willing to come and spend money on the high street at this crucial time for retail in the run—up to christmas. it has been such a difficult time for retail through the pandemic and there is a concern that the omicron variant will make people more nervous. having said that though, stall holders that i've spoken to here said that actually people are coming out and doing their shopping early, doing their christmas shopping early, because they are worried about the potential introduction of more restrictions, and so they have noticed it getting quite busy here over the last few weeks. so there is optimism for a busy saturday, especially now the rain has cleared but tinged with a little bit of trepidation, certainly those memories of previous lockdowns hanging over the market. well, the christmas tree is up here in the centre of romford and stores are

our business correspondent katie prescott is in romford, in essex.es to stockings branded with west ham and tottenham and christmas wreaths. the hope is that shoppers will also be getting into the christmas spirit today and willing to come and spend money on the high street at this crucial time for retail in the run—up to christmas. they have suffered so much during the pandemic and they are nervous that the 0micron variant will make people nervous to come out and spend. having said that, stallholders have told me that they noticed it getting quite busy because people in the run—up to christmas are worried about new restrictions coming in and so they are trying to get their christmas shopping in early. there is optimism for a busy saturday here in romford, especially now that the rain has cleared but tinged with a bit of trepidation i say, certainly with memories of previous lockdowns. hello, again. it feels quite chilly out there at the moment. some more wet weather around. it is moving southwards. a wintry mix continues for a while across south—eas

our business correspondent katie prescott is in romford.nd money in this particularly important period, in the run—up to christmas. not least given the really tough time but retailers have had through the pandemic. here in romford the rain has stopped and there is a bit of sense of optimism that people will start to come out, specially in case things do get worse later in the month. i'm joined byjohn, the market manager. what have you noticed in terms of the number of people shopping? since the summertime — number of people shopping? since the summertime we've _ number of people shopping? since the summertime we've seen _ number of people shopping? since the summertime we've seen a _ number of people shopping? since the summertime we've seen a gradual- summertime we've seen a gradual increase _ summertime we've seen a gradual increase in— summertime we've seen a gradual increase in football and trade. we are getting to a stage heading towards — are getting to a stage heading towards christmas so a lot of resilience _ towards christmas so a