Norfolk director of public health Louise Smith has warned of a 'tough' January with Covid cases rising in the county.

Louise Smith told BBC Radio Norfolk there are currently up to 900 people a day testing positive for Covid in the county.

She has urged businesses to have contingency plans in place to minimise disruption when people need to isolate, with the majority of cases at the moment in people under 40.

Dr Smith said: "We started by looking at the data and modelling and we think in Norfolk we are seeing an increase in cases.

"We were seeing 500 to 600 cases a day, but over the last ten days that has shot up to 900.

"Our predictions are that it will increase further and we think we are going to see possibly up to 2,000 cases a day for a short period in early January."

She is expecting a "sharp" spike in early January going down "fairly sharply" over the first couple of weeks, causing a knock-on effect to hospitals from the middle to end of the month.

She added: "It is going to be a tough month and our message is to remain cautious and to still get vaccinated and have a booster."

However, early signs indicate that the Omicron variant causes fewer admissions to hospital.

UEA virus expert Professor Paul Hunter has said that with the current data he does not support any further restrictions, like those seen in the rest of the UK nations. He believes cases are plateauing.

This includes Wales where no more than six people can meet in pubs, cinemas and restaurants from Boxing Day.

He said: "I think the situation we are in is about right and I would not be arguing for more restrictions in England, but we have to keep an eye on this."

Boris Johnson confirmed on Tuesday that Christmas in England can go ahead without new restrictions.