Number of Omicron cases in UK tops 300

A further 90 cases of the Omicron variant of coronavirus are recorded in the UK taking the total to 336, the UK Health Security Agency said on Monday.

The total includes 261 in England, 71 in Scotland, 4 in Wales and none in Northern Ireland, reports BBC.

Meanwhile, the number of UK hotel rooms available for quarantine for arrivals from red list countries is “rapidly expanding”, according to the Department of Health and Social Care.

“We have doubled the number of hotel rooms available from Monday and will continue to increase availability on a daily basis,” a spokesperson said.

Some people have been unable to book rooms in government-approved hotels because of capacity.

The government is advising passengers not to travel to the UK from red list countries unless they’ve booked a quarantine hotel package.