reviewer of covid measures, jonathan, and good news for those who wish to travel and the travel industry. who wish to travel and the travel indust . , _, ., ., who wish to travel and the travel indust . , ., ., ., industry. yes, confirmation from the prime minister _ industry. yes, confirmation from the prime minister this _ industry. yes, confirmation from the prime minister this afternoon - industry. yes, confirmation from the prime minister this afternoon to - industry. yes, confirmation from the prime minister this afternoon to be i prime minister this afternoon to be widely reported changes to travel advice and travel requirements, rather, for people arriving in the uk, arriving in england. they won't need to take a test before they depart and after they arrive they will no longer need to take a pcr test, a lateral flow test up to two days after arrival will be sufficient. those changes coming in later on this week. and we have also heard today about changes to the requirements for people testing in general, if you take a lateral flow test and it is positive there will be no need for the foreseeable future, at least, to take a follow—up pcr test to gain a confirmatory positive result before you begin a period of isolation. beyond that, we heard from the prime minister today a defence of the government's tactics and approach more recently in response to the omicron variant of coronavirus and i think most telling was boris johnson's trays that, we do not need to shut down our country again. he defended what he described as, a balanced and proportionate approach to the pandemic at this point, which he said had enabled the government to keep the majority of the economy open and functioning. and i think what you saw there was a hardening of a position which we have seen becoming increasingly clear, really, since probablyjust before christmas and that is the belief now in government that there is no need to impose any further measures, unless anything hinges drastically, in order to contain the omicron variant, but of course that comes hand—in—hand with increased and sustained pressure on the nhs and mr johnson acknowledged that, saying hospital admissions would be rising rapidly and also saying the impact of the virus on much of the people had not yet become fully clear and that was something labour picked up on an angela rayner, the deputy leader, standing in for sir keir starmer, who has tested positive for coronavirus himself, drawing attention to what she described as pressure on the nhs, which meant it was struggling to stay afloat and accusing the government of presiding over a shambles when it came to the availability of tests more recently. jonathan, for the moment, thank you very much. jonathan blake. the welsh government has made a similar move to ministers at westminster. from tomorrow people in wales who have no covid symptoms — but have had a positive lateral flow test result — will no longer be advised to book a follow—up pcr test to confirm they have the virus. according to the health minister, eluned morgan, the change is being made to ease the demand for pcr tests. let's go back to bristol, where four people accused of illegally removing a statue of edward colston has been cleared of criminal damage. just a warning, of course you can see flash photography here and our apologies if the language gets a little bit ripe. we are waiting to hear statements from the poor —— the for people who have been cleared this afternoon at bristol crown court. the man we see their speaking, who we can't hear there, along with milo, jake and and we get here and now we are here and we get here and now we are here and we get here and now we are here and wejust want and we get here and now we are here and we just want to say thank you to so many people because we have never been alone in this journey. we so many people because we have never been alone in this journey.— been alone in this “ourney. we have been alone in this “ourney. we have been so been alone in this journey. we have been so supported _ been alone in this journey. we have been so supported and _ been alone in this journey. we have been so supported and we - been alone in this journey. we have been so supported and we are - been alone in this journey. we have been so supported and we are such| been alone in this journey. we have l been so supported and we are such a small part of this, really. there were so many people that day, so many people reverberating across the world in response to it and so, i should just consult my notebook and... thanks are really key people. obviously our legal team, who has been incredible. i cannot thank them enough for getting us through this. bristol —dependent solidarity, bristol —dependent solidarity, bristol radical... cheering. tim and liz, tim and liz! ., tim and liz, tim and liz! have we not, all tim and liz, tim and liz! have we got. all of— tim and liz, tim and liz! have we got. all of our _ tim and liz, tim and liz! have we got, all of our witnesses, - tim and liz, tim and liz! have we got, all of our witnesses, and - got, all of our witnesses, and credible witnesses who took the oath and put their name on the line to stand in court for us. gloria daniels, clear lake, lloyd russell, julian... roger, who did so much of the research into all the history around it and a special mention to julia, as well, who was supposed to be a witness, but did not get to, but who has given me so much opened fire to continue with this journey. will be donated to the crowdfund. epic beings. all of ourfamily will be donated to the crowdfund. epic beings. all of our family and friends, who have had to endure this year and go on the journey with us. also, who have we got? everybody on the day. there were 10,000 people who marched the streets of bristol in the name of equality... exactly. all the rope pulleys, the statue climbers, the egg throws, the marchers, the placard... cheering. all those people. you lot are incredible and the international people, the people who went and took the urgency and did something in their hometown and changed the landscape of their home place because that is one thing that has been a really big lesson for me, is being able to take agency in my own life and the fact that we all have that ability to say how our space is decorated and who we venerate and celebrate and one thing we know now is that edward colston does not represent bristol. cheering. cheering. cheering and applause a big thanks to banksy! yeah! what do ou sa a big thanks to banksy! yeah! what do you say to _ a big thanks to banksy! yeah! what do you say to people _ a big thanks to banksy! yeah! what do you say to people who _ a big thanks to banksy! yeah! what do you say to people who say you canlm _ do you say to people who say you canlm of— do you say to people who say you can't... of history, _ do you say to people who say you can't... of history, that— do you say to people who say you can't... of history, that they - can't... of history, that they should — can't... of history, that they should be _ can't... of history, that they should be pulled _ can't... of history, that they should be pulled down... . can't... of history, that they| should be pulled down... we can't. .. of history, that they should be pulled down... we didn't chance should be pulled down... we didn't change history- _ should be pulled down... we didn't change history. they _ should be pulled down... we didn't change history. they were - change history. they were whitewashing history by calling him a virtuous _ whitewashing history by calling him a virtuous man. sorry to swear. we did not— a virtuous man. sorry to swear. we did not change history, we rectified it. did not change history, we rectified it they— did not change history, we rectified it. they lied. and this is the victory— it. they lied. and this is the victory of— it. they lied. and this is the victory of bristol, it is the victory— victory of bristol, it is the victory of— victory of bristol, it is the victory of racial equality and it is the victory— victory of racial equality and it is the victory of anyone who wants to be on _ the victory of anyone who wants to be on the — the victory of anyone who wants to be on the right side of history. theuk— be on the right side of history. thank you. _ be on the right side of history. thank you, everyone. you are all amazing — amazing. cheering and applause it has fallen just out of reach for a long time, where i always felt hopeful, but always had to remain grounded in that it could have gone either way, grounded in that it could have gone eitherway, but grounded in that it could have gone either way, but here we are. just thank you _ either way, but here we are. just thank you thank _ either way, but here we are. just thank you thank you so much for listening and sitting and listening so intently to the evidence and taking that on board and coming to the decision they have. the taking that on board and coming to the decision they have.— the decision they have. the right decision. for— the decision they have. the right decision. for once! _ the decision they have. the right decision. for once! you - the decision they have. the right decision. for once! you right - decision. for once! you right decision— decision. for once! you right decision happened in there. all right, _ decision happened in there. all right, i— decision happened in there. all right, lam _ decision happened in there. all right, i am getting of here. what next for you? — right, i am getting of here. what next for you? what _ right, i am getting of here. what next for you? what next? - right, i am getting of here. what next for you? what next? yeah, | right, i am getting of here. what - next for you? what next? yeah, come to the press — next for you? what next? yeah, come to the press conference _ next for you? what next? yeah, come to the press conference and _ next for you? what next? yeah, come to the press conference and we - next for you? what next? yeah, come to the press conference and we will i to the press conference and we will talk a bit more about what is next. when are you doing that? it will be in atrout— when are you doing that? it will be in about one — when are you doing that? it will be in about one hour's _ when are you doing that? it will be in about one hour's time. - when are you doing that? it will be in about one hour's time.— when are you doing that? it will be in about one hour's time. yeah, what is it? john wesley... _ in about one hour's time. yeah, what is it? john wesley... thank _ in about one hour's time. yeah, what is it? john wesley... thank you, - is it? john wesley... thank you, everybody- _ is it? john wesley... thank you, everybody- it — is it? john wesley... thank you, everybody. it looks _ is it? john wesley... thank you, everybody. it looks like - is it? john wesley... thank you, everybody. it looks like they - is it? john wesley... thank you, everybody. it looks like they are winding up their bristol, sage will be apologising for his own language there, but i will —— had better do so as well. i had warned you it might be a bit ripe and it was. that was milo, jake, sage, and rhiannon graham, who we heard most from there, thanking the people who supported them as they were cleared at bristol crown court today for criminal damage when that statue of the slave trader, edward colston, was torn down in bristol injune 2020. back to coronavirus. nicola sturgeon has announced that the isolation period in scotland will be cut from to seven days from ten as of midnight, if people have negative lateral flow tests for the last two days, and have no fever. it now brings the country in line with the rest of the uk. scotland's restrictions on social distancing, large gatherings and table service in hospitality will remain unchanged until the 17th of january. the first change to self—isolation applies to those who test positive for covid. while the initial advice when someone tests positive will still be to self—isolate for ten days, there will now be an option to end isolation after seven days, as long as you firstly, have no fever and secondly, you record two negative lateral flow tests, one no earlier than day six after testing positive and another at least 2a hours after that. the second change applies to close contacts of positive cases — and this includes household contacts — who are either under the age of 18 years four months or who are older than that and fully vaccinated. and let me be clear, by fully vaccinated we mean first, second and booster or third doses. for close contacts in these categories, the requirement to self—isolate will end and be replaced by a requirement to take a lateral flow test every day for seven days. obviously if one of these tests is positive, self—isolation will then be required. anyone identified as a close contact who is over 18 years and four months and not fully vaccinated will still be asked to self—isolate for ten days and to take a pcr test. from tomorrow, if your lateral flow test is positive and you do not have symptoms, you will no longer be required to take a pcr test to confirm the result. instead, you must immediately isolate and also report your results online so that test and protect can commence the contact tracing process and give you advice as quickly as possible. nicola sturgeon. vulnerable primary school children in northern ireland are expected to be offered a low—dose covid—19 vaccine in the coming weeks, in line with the rest of the uk. last month, the government's vaccine advisors said five to 11—year—olds with an underlying health condition — or who live with someone who is immunosuppressed — should receive two doses eight weeks apart. a decision on vaccinating all children in this age range has not yet been made. the latest estimate suggests that 3.7 million people in the uk had covid last week — up from 2.3 million over the previous seven days. it's the highest number since the office for national statistics started compiling the figures nearly 18 months ago. our head of statistics, robert cuffe, has been giving me more details. highest in england, around one in 15 people, around one in 20 or one in 25 in the other nations and rising rapidly in all those countries as well. it is probably not news, in that we have been hearing these figures for quite some time now, but the scale of it is fairly stark and i think viewers can see that right now. we can see the gradual increases we remember from over the summer are really a thing of the past and that shoot up from well below a million to almost four in the last couple of weeks is the omicron wave. yes, so in the week up to the 23rd of december, it was 2.3 million and then a week later 3.7. that just explains exactly why that graph is as steep as it is. and it explains the reasons why we are seeing all the pressure on the testing systems because so many more people have coronavirus or are getting tested and possibly some of the reasons behind the switch from relying exclusively on pcr to lateral flows. there is some good news buried behind these figures now. in london we have seen the growth rate slow down a bit. still growing, but instead of shooting up like that, in the last week it went from about 7.5% to nearly 9%, so that's around going up by 20% in a week. that is not doubling in a week, so that is... ..good news, if a rise can be... relatively good news, yeah. but it is the sheer number of cases, rather than the rate of hospitalisation that is the issue here, isn't it? because omicron is spreading so fast, so many people have got it, and that is what is putting pressure on the health services and social care. a year ago we were talking about the number of people who were being killed by coronavirus. we were talking about the number of extra intensive care beds hospitals were trying to put up in order to try to keep up with the wave of people who were being made seriously sick. and we're not seeing that at this point. the number of people in hospital is not going up at the same rate, but eventually we will see that increase and the deaths start to increase and, as you say, as more and more people have to isolate because they are infectious, we will see more pressure on hospitals and we saw that in the figures released last week, with about, i think, with staff from nhs acute trusts, you would normally expect about 5% of them to be off sick and now it is about 8% and that is really covid that has been driving it. if these infection numbers we have been talking about continue to play through there we can see where the pressure will continue to grow on the nhs. and society at large. but it is confusing for people, isn't it, when you see these numbers, that we are still at plan b in england, for example? that we are not seeing more restrictions put in, because the ministers are pointing to the fact that the vaccination programme has helped ? the bet that has been made is that the combination of the boosters, which will prevent some serious sickness, and the fact that omicron is less likely to make you seriously ill, those two things will prevent this huge number of infections turning into the kind of terrible levels of sickness and death we were talking about a year ago. that is hopefully the case. fingers crossed. but, as we were alluding to earlier, with that many people off, isolating, even if they are not feeling terribly sick, we're still in for a rough couple of weeks. robert cuffe, our head of statistics. and with pressure on hospitals growing, the bbc has launched a special nhs tracker which will let you find out how your local services are coping. the tracker will run throughout winter and shows you the latest data on waiting times for emergency treatment where you live. across europe, governments are struggling to contain the rising number of cases of the omicron variant. in france, president macron has said he wants to make life more difficult for people who haven't been vaccinated. italy's government will also meet later to decide whether to approve tougher measures. our correspondent, mark lowen, has more. a new year surge and new political tensions over tackling it. in france, currently with europe's highest cases, a parliament debate about vaccine passes for restaurants and trains was suspended after an interview by president macron that prompted howls of outrage. he told le parisien newspaper he wanted to bar the unvaccinated from social activities, using the slang word, emmerder, aiming to kiss them off. it's deepened france's already fractious discussion. the government's plans to bring in the law by mid january thrown into doubt. translation: a president - of the republic cannot say the sorts of things that have been said. translation: we will not continue i to debate a bill that you describe i as protecting french people when we learn from the press that it's a bill intended to "kiss" off a part of the population. despite more than 270,000 cases yesterday, france is using vaccines, not lockdowns to combat it. a picture that's repeated across much of europe. here in italy, the push is to vaccinate the over—fives as schools prepare to resume, arming the youngest in the battle against the pandemic. we are doing a job that's about society and we all have to contribute to make others feel safe. so it's teamwork. the first country in the west to fall to coronavirus in 2020 became the first in the world to lockdown nationwide back then. today, even with record cases, italy's streets are once again busy as it too tightens vaccine rules instead. the cabinet today debating compulsory shots for all workers. greece is also seeing soaring infections, leading to round—the—block queues for tests. the prime minister announcing all over 60s will be fined unless they get the vaccine. across the continent, countries are moving towards living with covid, but that means carrots and sticks to get the holdouts jabbed. mark lowen, bbc news, rome. you're watching bbc news. a reminder of our headlines... the government has confirmed that it will stick to its plan b of covid measures in england and not impose any further covid restrictions for at least another three weeks. the prime minister has confirmed that that pre—departure tests will be scrapped for travel from friday morning. the government is also lifting the requirement to self—isolate on arrival in england until receiving a negative pcr test result. in scotland, the self—isolation period for covid cases in scotland is to be cut from ten days to seven, if people record two negative tests and have no symptoms. restrictions on social distancing, large gatherings and hospitality will remain unchanged until the 17th of january. just under half the budget for social care is spent on supporting disabled adults of working age. but the system is under pressure — with increasing demand for services combined with a shortage of carers. it means that some people are not getting the support they need to live independent lives. paul carter reports. oh, thank you. suzanne likes to go out... we can party the whole night through, which will make a change. yes. but an evening trip to the pub with her partnerjason is a rare occasion. realistically, if we're going out for a meal or a drink, we'd probably have to leave by about 6:30pm to make sure we're home in time. her disability means she needs help getting into bed. she has an evening call from a care agency but the time of this can sometimes be unpredictable, and can be as early as 7:30pm. going to bed at 7:30pm is way too early for me, personally. i'm only in my mid—40s and unless you are absolutely exhausted, who goes to bed at 7:30pm at night? it really does seem like a loss of control. you are completely at the mercy of the situation you are in with the carers. are you all right? i'm 0k. what about you ? jennifer also needs help in the morning and evening. that often means long shifts for her carers, like stella. normally, i start at 7:30am. i have to leave early. finishing... it depends if i have i to come tojennifer, i finish like 8:30pm. see you in the morning. there must be times where it's about 7:30pm in the evening and you think, "i just don't want to go to bed right now." it's difficult. but i don't want my carers then going to bed at midnight because they're coming here at 11pm to help me to bed. they're doing these long days. i'd like to see them doing a shift system. the agency that providesjennifer�*s care says the way the funding of the current system is structured limits the shifts they can provide. it will be possible if the contract we have with the authorities, the nhs, or social services or private firms allow you to give an extra allowance for those who want a late call. is it basicallyjust it needs more money? it is more money, yes. hello, gorgeous. with the care industry facing multiple challenges around staffing and funding, the government has recently announced an additional £5.1l billion of funding for social care over the next three years. suzanne's hope is if some of those pressures are relieved, she'll be able to extend her days out to more nights out. paul carter, bbc news. a memorial to the 22 people killed in the manchester arena bombing has opened to the public today. the glade of light, near the city's cathedral, is a white marble "halo" bearing the names of those who died. andy gill reports. the new memorial garden has been built within sight of manchester arena, where suicide bomber salman abedi murdered 22 people in may 2017. the plants have been selected to reflect the seasons and give year round colour. but the centre piece is a halo of white marble bearing the names of those who were killed. what we have done here is a really beautiful tribute to what was a dark day in manchester's history and we really want to do justice to the strength of feeling from people who lost their loved ones and also those who were affected in manchester more broadly to create something that all year round people could come to pause and reflect and remember. two families had left flowers here on private visits before the garden was opened to the public. beneath the names of the victims and embedded in the memorial are memory capsules, donated by the victims' families, containing mementos and messages to remember their loved ones. olivia campbell hardy from bury was one of the 22 who died. herfriend adam lawler was injured in the attack. i think it is somewhere i will always stop when i'm in town, you know? whether i am going to the pub or through to the shops orjust somewhere, anywhere i am going through, i will pass through, just to take a moment, you know? just to take a moment, you know, to remember. at the centre of the gardens is a hawthorn tree, which will bloom in may to coincide with the anniversary of the atrocity. this coming may there'll be an official opening to mark five years since it happened. andy gill, bbc north west today, manchester. a 32—year—old army officer has become the first woman of colour to complete a solo expedition to the south pole. captain preet chandi trekked 700 miles in a0 days, pulling her equipment in a sledge. she faced temperatures of —45 celsius and said of —45 celsius and said she wanted to "encourage people to push boundaries and believe in themselves." our correspondent phil mackie has the story. this was the moment she made it. a0 days after captain preet chandi set off and two years after she started training. i've made it to the south pole, where it's snowing. feeling so many emotions right now. i knew nothing about the polar world three years ago and it feels so surreal to finally be here. getting ready wasn't exactly easy. she went to iceland and spent 27 days in greenland to prepare for the extreme conditions. before she left, polar preet, as she's become known, who is an army physio, said one of the reasons she wanted to do it was to inspire other girls from her background. as a woman of colour, as an asian woman, you know, when people see me doing this, you know, an image they don't expect to see, they are so excited. and people have said to me that i'm such a role model, just for them to see somebody that looks, you know, slightly like them. during the trek, she had to tackle 60 mph winds while pulling a 90kg sled in temperatures that fell as low as —50 celsius. as she got closer, she suffered from exhaustion — but that all melted away with the elation of achieving her goal. you are capable of anything you want, no matter where you are from, where your start line is. everybody starts somewhere. i don't want to just break the glass ceiling, i want to smash it into a million pieces. who's with me? and an awful lot of people are. her accomplishment is being seen as a triumph back at home. she is going to have to get used to being at the pole for a little longer. an outbreak of covid means the flight crew that will bring her back is stuck in isolation. phil mackie, bbc news. reeta chakra barti is reeta chakrabarti is with you next. now it's time for a look at the weather with susan powell. sunshine has been in short supply of late, but wednesday certainly made up for it with widespread blue skies across the uk. there is a price to pay for those clear skies and that would be tonight, temperatures falling very sharply, and it will stay chilly across the uk through the next couple of days and nights, in fact. chilly enough that we will see a top up of the snow across the highlands through thursday as these weather fronts start to work their way in. ahead of that, through the course of the night, temperatures will fall away very sharply with light winds. we have lying snow in some of the sheltered scottish glens and we could see temperatures down as low as —10, and even to the south of the uk and sheltered spots in south wales and southern england, —6, —7, but it will be marred by the end of the night for the likes of northern ireland where the winds pick up and the cloud arrives and the weather system then runs into the cold air through thursday. northern ireland, largely running maybe snow running maybe snow , but for scotland and northern england, not exclusively over the high ground, there will be some heavy snowfall for a time, some briefly across north wales and the midlands, and with strong winds we could have blizzard conditions. also heavy rain to the south of the front, it even of the front, maybe even the odd flash of lightning and rumble of thunder. it is a cold afternoon as things brighten behind the weather front and quite a few showers continue to follow in on a notable north—westerly wind. that stays with us thursday into friday because of the wind it won't be quite as cold, overnight thursday into friday, and we will still have a frosty start over the northern half of the uk, and a risk of ice first thing and then snow showers again for northern and western scotland, northern ireland and the north west of england, down into the midlands, at lower levels, as well. rain for the far south—west. a lot of sunshine, but a cold feel with temperatures in the mid range of single figures at best, so quite a change on saturday as this weather system comes in, a pocket of milder air, tucked inside, and it will lift the temperatures quite notably, into double figures once again, but the start of the weekend we'll see a return of widespread cloud and also fairly heavy outbreaks of rain. this is bbc news i'm reeta chakrabarti. the headlines at five. an estimated 3.7 million people in the uk had coronavirus in the week up to new year's eve, the highest number since comparable figures began. but the government says will stick to its plan b measures in england and not impose any further restrictions. all of these measures are helping to take the edge off the omicron wave, slow the spread of infection, manage the immediate pressures under nhs and buy time for the boosters to take effect. the prime minister has also confirmed that that pre—departure tests would be scrapped for travel from friday morning. the self—isolation period for covid cases in scotland is to be cut from 10 days to seven, if people record two negative tests and have no symptoms. restrictions on social distancing, large gatherings and table service in hospitality will remain unchanged until the 17th of january.