Health experts and business chiefs warned the ten-day isolation rule was lockdown by stealth - keeping people at home even when their symptoms and infectiousness had eased.
Pictures from Leeds, London and Newcastle showed just a smattering of revellers enjoying festive nights out yesterday, just a day before Black Eye Friday.
A health expert and business leader suggested pressures could be eased by revisiting rules that require everyone who tests positive to isolate for 10 days.
Rishi Sunak was pictured arriving at London Heathrow on Friday evening as the Chancellor faces renewed criticism over his long-planned Government trip to meet tech bosses in California.