Boris Johnson said that "England will continue with its Plan B Covid measures amid growing pressures on the National Health Services(NHS)."
"We've got to make sure we look after our NHS in any way that we can," he said, adding: "I appreciate the pressures that our hospitals are under." As NHS trusts warn of staffing pressures, Mr. Johnson said the government was looking at what it could do to "Move people into those areas that are particularly badly affected".
" Chris Hopson, chief executive of NHS Providers, which represents NHS trusts, said on Twitter it was "very clear" the NHS in the rest of the country was "now coming under the significant pressure London has been encountering".
Parts of the health service are in crisis, Matthew Taylor, NHS Confederation chief executive, warned.
On a new requirement for masks, Mr. Johnson agreed with Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi and said the government "won't keep them on a day more than is necessary.
" Mr. Johnson said he did not "like the idea of having face masks in classrooms any more than anybody else does", but said there is an "increasing body of scientific support" for the idea that face masks contain transmission.
Earlier on Monday, Mr. Zahawi defended plans to require secondary pupils to wear masks during lessons until 26 January, adding ministers were determined to keep schools open after learning a "painful lesson" from earlier closures.
