PEOPLE will be advised to wear face masks in crowded places and meet outdoors wherever possible as part of the government’s plan to tackle coronavirus throughout the winter.

The government has revealed its Covid ‘plan A’ which is designed to keep infections under control and avoid another national lockdown through a number of measures including booster jabs for the most vulnerable and reaching out to the millions currently unvaccinated.

The government has also revealed a ‘plan B’ for the winter – which would come into play if the Covid situation severely worsens and the NHS becomes even more overwhelmed – and would include the reintroduction of the legal requirement to wear face masks, a return to working from home and vaccine passports for entry to large indoor events.

The government has refused to rule out further lockdowns this year but said the measure would only be used as a “last resort” if its other actions did not keep infections down.

Government measures to tackle coronavirus infections this winter include a renewed effort to jab the millions of over-16s not yet vaccinated as well as rollout a booster programme for the most vulnerable and offering vaccinations to all over-12s.

The government has also said it is aiming to carry out the ‘largest ever’ flu jab campaign with primary and secondary school children, pregnant women and over-50s and vulnerable groups all eligible.

Speaking to MPs in the House of Commons on Tuesday (September 14), Health Secretary Sajid Javid said: "The latest statistics from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that almost 99 per cent of Covid-19 deaths in the first half of this year were people who had not received both doses of a Covid-19 vaccine.

"This shows the importance of our vaccination programme."

Downing Street said there was no metric that would be trigger its "plan B" measures from the winter coronavirus plan and a “holistic approach” that “considered a range of data” would be used instead.

The announcement of the government’s winter plan follows advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) that all over-50s should be offered a third jab – starting with the over-70s and the most vulnerable.

One dose of the Pfizer vaccine will be given at least six months after the second dose amid concerns the protection it gives to older people fades over time.