England has community transmission of Omicron variant, health minister says

FILE PHOTO: Britain's Health Secretary Sajid Javid speaks during a news conference in Downing Street, London, Britain November 30, 2021. REUTERS/Tom Nicholson/Pool

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's health minister said on Monday there is now community transmission of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus across regions of England but it is too early to say if this will "knock us off our road to recovery".

Defending the introduction of stricter rules to slow the spread of the virus, Sajid Javid told parliament the government was "leaving nothing to chance" while scientists assessed the variant, which was first reported in South Africa last month.