LONDON: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced an end to COVID-19 measures, including mandatory face masks, in England as he seeks to live with the virus after a peak in cases caused by the rapid spread of the Omicron version.
Johnson’s light-touch approach to dealing with Omicron made him begin wearing more masks, as well as work at home, and the vaccine was passed on December 8, though he imposed more strict restrictions than those seen globally. eased. What happened.
Because of the UK booster rollout and the low severity of the variant, where cases have reached record highs, hospitalizations and deaths have not increased to the same extent.
Johnson’s pledge to avoid lockdowns and live with the virus contrasts with the zero tolerance approach for COVID-19 in China and Hong Kong, and the strict restrictions in many other European countries.
“Many countries in Europe face more winter lockdowns, but this government has taken a different route,” Johnson told lawmakers.
“Our scientists believe it is likely that the omicron wave now peaking at the national level … may return.”
Johnson said none of the so-called Plan B measures would remain in force in England when it expires on January 26, as face masks would not be legally enforceable anywhere and COVID passes would not be mandatory.
The government said that it will no longer even ask people to work from home, this will come into force with immediate effect.
Johnson cited official data that showed the spread of infection was falling from record highs.
But scientists warned that cases could rise again if people’s behavior returned to normal quickly.
“There is no guarantee that levels will continue to decline at this point in time,” virologist Lawrence Young of the University of Warwick told Reuters.
“I don’t think we have any room for complacency at the moment, but I understand the economic imperative. People want to get back to normalcy.”
Pandemic ‘not over’
Johnson has faced criticism for his handling of the pandemic as a whole, and Britain has reported 152,872 deaths, the seventh highest globally. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have followed their own anti-coronavirus measures, usually with tighter restrictions, but have also begun to ease them.
Johnson is expected to reset his agenda after an uproar over lockdown gatherings in his office, with some in his party plotting to remove him.
The lifting of Plan B measures, along with Omicron’s navigation without resorting to stringent lockdowns, could help Johnson appease vocal opponents of restrictions in his own caucus amid party unrest.
Johnson said if the data backed it up, he could end the legal requirement for people to self-isolate if they test positive before regulation ends in March.
“But to make this possible, we must all be vigilant during these final weeks of winter,” he said, warning of the continuing pressure on hospitals.
“The pandemic is not over.”
The UK Health Protection Agency’s chief medical adviser, Susan Hopkins, said she expected the decline in cases to continue, but it would not be linear.
“We believe that overall, we will continue to see a decline in cases. It may plateau at some points because infections are different in different populations,” she said at a news conference.
“People’s behavior and how they react to the removal of Plan B will determine how quickly the infection can spread through the population.”