Will it be a blue omicron Christmas?

It’d be an understatement to say that UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson needs the public’s support right now, as a worrying new Covid variant spreads across the land. It’d also be an understatement to say that he and his fellow Conservatives are doing a bad job at rallying that support.
To sum up Partygate: There were accusations of a Christmas party (or several) being held at Downing Street in December last year (during that terribly dark period in British history where parties were illegal). The government spent days denying the claims before a video was leaked showing advisers joking about the alleged party during a mock news conference. It’s always a little awkward getting caught in a lie.
Hours after the video leaked, government press secretary Allegra Stratton tearfully resigned and Johnson announced a tightening of restrictions — or “Plan B.” The challenge for the prime minister was summed up by Therese Raphael: “How can Johnson now expect people to follow new guidance when Downing Street officials were happy to ignore last year’s restrictions?”
Disapproval ratings for Johnson and his government are at or near pandemic highs, which is quite the feat considering other scandals of the Dark Times included Dominic Cummings’ trip to Barnard Castle, the prime minister’s expensive apartment renovation and corruption allegations.
The omicron variant could be the dominant variant in the UK within weeks. Thanks to vaccines, hospital admissions and death rates are still much lower compared to previous waves, but there’s still so much we don’t know. Sam Fazeli said in a conversation on Twitter Spaces that the simple fact that the variant is so different means it’s really better to be safe than sorry. It’ll be a couple more weeks before we know what impact omicron has on hospitalisation rates, and another couple of weeks before we see the effect on deaths. As Andreas Kluth notes, this waiting is harmful in itself.
Of course, managing the coronavirus is a tricky balancing act between protecting people and keeping the economy running. There’s no doubt the economy is on Johnson’s mind as he encourages the UK to “party on.” Therese writes that the trade group UKHospitality reported holiday venue bookings at 30% below expectations even before omicron arrived.
Since the variant hit, anecdotal evidence suggests there has been an increase in cancellations. Yet even if there is less socialising in the run-up to the festive period, Andrea Felsted says that signs point to people splashing out this year, regardless of omicron’s impact. After all, Brits are desperate to make up for a depressing 2020 holiday season by showering their loved ones with gifts and cooking a monster of a Christmas dinner.
On the same date that the infamous party was held, Johnson tweeted that it was vital for everyone to minimise contact with people outside their households. That now looks pretty insincere — especially to those who followed the rules to the letter, spending Christmas at home alone or missing out on saying goodbye to loved ones.
The festive period was followed by a harsh crackdown on Covid rule-breakers, potentially as obedience and patience with lockdowns waned.

—Bloomberg