Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced that the Plan B restrictions implemented in England with the spread of Omicron are being lifted over the next week.
After seeing the most significant fall in COVID-19 since the start of the Omicron variant spread, the government have taken the decision to start allowing things to get back to ‘normal’, despite the UK recording 438 deaths on Tuesday (18th Jan), the highest daily number since February 2021 and reported 94,432 active cases.
The guidance that all employees should work from home if they can is ending, and staff need to consult their workplace about returning the office. From today (Thursday 20th Jan), children and teachers no longer have to wear masks while in the classroom and next week, the requirement to wear a face mask will be lifted entirely. Though no one will be prosecuted for not wearing a mask in public, the government and health officials are still encouraging people to wear masks in enclosed or crowded spaces and practise safe, sensible hygiene.
Businesses and venues will be relieved to hear that they are no longer required to check or enforce the use of COVID passes at events, though business can continue to use them if they wish to. If travel and tourism hoped to see similar relaxing of rules that affect them, they will likely be disappointed to find that Downing Street is maintaining testing requirements for people entering the UK. Everyone over the age of five must take an LFT or PCR test within 48 hours of arriving in the country. People who test positive must still self-isolate.
