England lifts COVID restrictions as Omicron threat looms

As of Thursday, face coverings are not required by law anywhere in England, and the legal requirement for a COVID-19 pass has been abolished for entry into nightclubs and other large venues.

The government last week dropped its advisory for people to work from home as well as for face coverings in classrooms. From next week, the ban on the number of people coming to the nursing home will also be lifted.

England is not the only place in Europe to lift coronavirus restrictions this week. On Wednesday, the Netherlands reopened restaurants, bars, museums and theaters for the first time in a month as part of a broad easing of restrictions. The move came as infections surged in the country, although admissions to intensive care units are falling.

In Denmark, Prime Minister Mette Fredriksson said on Wednesday that from 1 February Danes can enjoy free access to restaurants, museums and nightclubs, and the mandatory requirement to wear face masks will also be abolished.

The so-called “Plan B” measures in England were introduced in early December to prevent the rapid spread of the Omicron variant from overwhelming health services and give the population time for its booster vaccine shot. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, which make their own public health rules, have similarly relaxed their virus restrictions.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid said the government’s vaccine rollout, testing and development of antiviral treatments allow a “careful retreat” to build “some of the strongest defenses in Europe”.

But he added that “as we learn to live with COVID, we need to see clearly that this virus is not going away.” While infections continue to decline, health officials said omicron is prevalent across the country, especially in babies and toddlers. Elderly.

Officials said around 84% of people over the age of 12 in the UK have received a second dose of the vaccine, and of those who are eligible, 81% have received their booster shot.

The number of people hospitalized and in intensive care units has stabilized or fallen, and daily cases have fallen from a peak of more than 200,000 cases a day around the new year to less than 100,000 in recent days.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said last week that the growth of Omicron infections “is now peaking nationally.”

Although the legal requirements were being withdrawn, some stores including major supermarket chains Sainsbury’s and Tesco and public transport operators say they will continue to ask people to donate their face masks. London Mayor Sadiq Khan said face coverings would still be required in the capital’s buses and metro trains, but it was unclear how it would be implemented.

The legal requirement for infected people to self-isolate for a full five days remains in place, but Johnson said that measure too soon to expire, should be replaced with advice and guidance for infected people to remain vigilant .

Health officials have said they are planning a longer-term, post-pandemic strategy that treats COVID-19 more like the flu.