Sheffield LIVE:over-35s will be able to book their Covid-19 jabs within days

Prime Minister Boris Johnson is facing mounting criticism over the timing of adding India to the travel red list requiring quarantine amid concern that the coronavirus variant first discovered there is now spreading quickly in parts of the UK.

A number of experts including the British Medical Association have raised concerns about Monday’s relaxation of Covid rules.

India was reporting more than 100,000 cases a day by 5 April, but was not added to the red list until 23 April.

The government said the UK has “some of the toughest border measures”.

Referring to reports the new variant could be up to 50% more transmissible, he said: “As Chris Whitty said yesterday, it’s possible, but equally it could be much less more transmissible, if that makes sense.

“We don’t know how much more transmissible it is yet.

“All the evidence so far suggests there is no evidence of increased severity of illness or that it evades the vaccine.

“So, at the moment, on the basis of the evidence we are doing the right thing, coolly, calmly continuing with Monday, but keeping everything under review.”

Mr Argar added that people should take personal responsibility when deciding whether or not to hug loved ones, when allowed to do so.

“You have to take all the facts into consideration,” he said.

“It’s about personal responsibility, it’s about making the right judgment call.”

Five Sheffield MPs have written to the Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab urging him to take more action in response to the increasing violence in Gaza.

The letter signed by Olivia Blake, Paul Blomfield, Gill Furniss, Clive Betts and Louise Haigh urges the UK Government to condemn all the attacks on civilians and calls on Israeli police and security forces to stop their use of violence on worshippers.

Labour MP for Sheffield Hallam Olivia Blake told the BBC: "There has unfortunately been a spiralling amount of violence on a number of civilians on both sides who have been sadly killed, losing children. We just feel that the Government here could be doing so much more to help negotiate a way through a peaceful resolution."

The Labour MP said: “People across the country will be deeply concerned and tonight’s news brings into sharp focus Boris Johnson’s reckless failure to protect our borders in this crisis.

“Only a few weeks ago we urged Matt Hancock to designate this a variant of concern and respond with speed and resolve.

“As expert public health officials on the ground are saying we now need ‘surge vaccinations’ in areas of prevalence, enhanced contact tracing and crucially; to fix sick pay and isolation support. Having come so far we don’t want to be set back now.”

Ollie Hart, GP at Heeley Plus Primary Care Networksaid: “We are well into our second doses. It can be quite tricky to get the exact number of people for the second dose each day, but we are working really hard with our volunteer crew which as always have made the centre run really smoothly in a fantastic team effort.

“It's really reassuring to see people coming in for their first vaccines realising that they are safe and what's really encouraging is that this new India strain we are seeing coming over seems to be well protected against by the vaccines that we have been giving and we are not seeing the rampant spread they are seeing in India even though it is now prevalent in our communities. That is really good news and another reason to come forward and have your vaccine if you haven't already.”

The Prime Minister told the Downing Street press conference: “This doesn’t mean that it’s impossible that we will be able to go ahead with step four.

“I don’t think that’s the case at all. But it does now mean there’s the risk of disruption and delay, and delay to that ambition, and we have to be utterly realistic about that.”