held in 2022, but the option of teacher based assessment will remain open. 4 october – parents of children aged 12–15 living in northamptonshire, where covid cases are high, are urged to get their children vaccinated. 5 october – department for education figures indicate the number of pupils absent from school in england rose by two thirds in the two weeks to 30 september, with 204,000 (2.5% of school pupils) absent due to covid-related reasons. the vale academy in brigg, north lincolnshire reintroduces bubbles due to high covid cases in the area. 7 october – schools in cambridgeshire are asked to reintroduce compulsory face masks for pupils after health officials said that 50% of recent covid infections have been among those aged 0–17. 8 october – figures released by the office for national statistics for the week ending 2 october show an increase in covid infections in english secondary schools, with one in 14 believed to have the virus, up from one in 20 the week before. nationally the rate has risen from one in 85 to one in 70, the rise having been driven by the secondary school increase. 11 october – visiting is suspended at withybush hospital in haverfordwest, pembrokeshire, after a rise in covid cases. 21 october – the royal cornwall hospitals trust declares a critical incident because of the pressures it is facing; the previous day saw over 100 people waiting for accident and emergency treatment with 25 ambulances waiting outside. greater manchester has cancelled its eight council-run bonfires due to covid; the events normally attract around 100,000 attendees. 24 october – new rules come into force allowing fully vaccinated travellers returning to england to take lateral flow tests instead of pcr tests. 31 october – health officials from nhs england are to visit around 800 schools in an attempt to accelerate the vaccination programme for 12–15-year-olds; around 600,000 people in that age group have already had the vaccine. november 2021 1 november – cambridgeshire and peterborough councils become "enhanced response areas", with extra government support to tackle high covid rates in the area. the support includes efforts to maximise vaccine rollout and is expected to be in place for five weeks. 2 november – diwali celebrations return to leicester following their cancellation in 2020 because of covid. 4 november – birmingham's german christmas market returns after its cancellation in 2020. the event is smaller than in previous years, and birmingham city council warns it could change or close if covid restrictions return. 5 november – england's r number is estimated to be between 0.9 and 1.1, a fall from the same day the previous week when it was estimated to be between 1.1 and 1.3. 8 november – doctors are expressing concern about the number of older people who have not taken up the offer of a booster vaccine, with as many as 20% of those over 80 in the north east of england and north cumbria yet to have the booster. 15 november – two men from rotherham, south yorkshire, who fraudulently claimed £200,000 in emergency covid funding by setting up bogus businesses then going into voluntary liquidation are banned from being company directors for thirteen and six years respectively. 18 november – uk health security agency data for the period up to 14 november indicates covid cases in england are now highest among children aged 5–9. 22 november – people aged over 40 in england become eligible to book their covid booster vaccination. 23 november – covid advice is updated for england, where people are urged to take a lateral flow test if they expect to be in a “high risk situation” that day, such as spending time in “crowded and enclosed spaces” and where “there is limited fresh air”. 30 november – rules regarding face coverings in england and pcr tests for travellers arriving into the uk come into force as a measure to offset the new omicron covid variant discovered in southern africa. 29 november – secondary school pupils in england are "strongly advised" to wear face coverings in communal areas. 30 november – rules regarding face coverings in england and pcr tests for travellers arriving into the uk come into force. prime minister johnson announces that by the end of january 2022, all adults in england over the age of 18 would be eligible to receive a vaccine booster. december 2021 4 december – gp surgeries in england will be allowed to defer non-urgent health checks for over-75s in order to focus on providing the booster vaccine. the move is welcomed by doctors' leaders. 8 december – prime minister johnson announces that "plan b" measures would be implemented due to the threat of omicron variant and to ensure a "close to normal" holiday season: from 10 december the mask mandate is extended to cinemas, theatres and similar indoor venues. from 13 december employees are being advised to work from home if possible. from 15 december attendees of nightclubs and large events must produce an nhs covid pass to enter. 30 december – the welsh government announces that wales will lend england four million lateral flow tests to help with the current shortage of tests being experienced by england.