Downing Street. answered questions about the prospects for compulsory vaccination against Covid-19 in the United Kingdom.

It comes after the head of the European Commission said EU countries should consider making Covid-19 vaccinations mandatory because too many people still refuse to have them voluntarily.

Austria has pledged to make vaccines compulsory for all residents from February 1, while Greece plans to impose a fine on people aged 60 and over 100 euros per month (£ 85) if they do not get vaccinated, from mid-January.

And Germany is barring unvaccinated people from accessing non-essential stores and places of recreation and culture – and its parliament will consider a general vaccination mandate, as part of efforts to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

The measures had raised concerns among some that the UK could follow suit.

However, the UK government still has “no plan” to make vaccinations mandatory, a Downing Street spokesperson said. today

When asked if jabs could ever be made mandatory, the prime minister’s spokesperson told reporters: ‘We set our policy on this and we said it was not something that we would seek to introduce.

“You are aware of the changes we have made in terms of social services and for NHS workers, given the importance of protecting the most vulnerable in our society. But there are no plans beyond that in this regard.

As to whether there might be separate lockdowns for the unvaccinated in the future, the spokesperson said: “I think you can go back to the restrictions we had before and the fact that we never introduced anything in this direction.

“Our priority is to continue to promote vaccinations and promote reminders now that we are rolling out more and more reminders to more and more people. This is our priority, this is our goal, and this is what we are asking people to come forward and take.

The news will be welcomed by freedom of choice activists.

Simon Dolan, who lost a Court of Appeal challenge against the UK government over Covid-19 lockdown rules, said: “The past 18 months have taught us that European governments have been far too quick to impose locking restrictions.

“The latest move by Angela Merkel’s government is to impose a national vaccine apartheid on the German people, completely removing the right of every citizen to freedom of choice.”

When the German Chancellor describes the decision to impose lockdown restrictions only on the unvaccinated population as an ‘act of national solidarity’, her words could not be further from the truth.

“It is clear that governments across Europe will continue to use the latest variant as an excuse to re-impose drastic measures on the people, when instead we should just learn to live with the virus, because good many of the most successful covid responses have ended. “

“With the German government deciding to take this unprecedented step, there is a real danger that the British government will follow suit, presenting another huge threat to freedom of choice in this country, a threat that must be firmly opposed. and without reservation. “

In Wales, around one in 45 people are estimated to have had Covid-19 in the week to November 27, up from one in 50 the week before and slightly below the recent high of one in 40.

In Northern Ireland, the latest estimate is also one in 45 people, down from one in 50 the week before and slightly below the record one in 40 in mid-August.

For Scotland, the latest estimate is one in 65, down from one in 70 the week before, but below the September peak of one in 45.

All figures relate to people living in private households.

According to the latest estimates from the Office for National Statistics, around one in 60 people in private households in England had Covid-19 in the week to November 27, compared to one in 65 the week before.

One in 60 people is equivalent to about 898,900 people.

The proportion of people estimated to have coronavirus at the height of the second wave in early January was one in 50.

The percentage of people who tested positive for Covid-19 in the past week is estimated to have increased in London, north-east England and Yorkshire and the Humber, the ONS said.

The proportion declined in the West Midlands and in all other regions the trend was uncertain.

In the north-east of England, around one in 45 people was likely to test positive in the week to November 27.

This was the highest proportion of all regions.

The West Midlands had the lowest proportion, at around one in 75.

For more stories about where you live, visit InYourZone.