First modification:
The British government lifted the measures of the mandatory use of masks and the Covid certificate given the drop in the number of infections. This relaxation is part of the process of abandoning ‘Plan B’, called by the Executive, which aims to achieve a “complete normality”.
After hard weeks of a new wave of infections due to the Omicron variant, the United Kingdom decided to relax the restrictions against Covid-19 this Thursday, January 27.
The new measures include that the use of masks will no longer be compulsory throughout the territory and will be “a matter of personal judgment”, according to a government spokesman. This determination does not include crowded places, closed spaces and where they are in contact with strangers. In those cases, the duty to wear the mask will continue.
In addition, Covid passports, which certified the vaccination status of each individual to verify whether or not they were authorized to enter various establishments, will no longer be a legal requirement in England.
However, there will be exceptions after stores, supermarkets and railway operators indicated that they will continue to require civilians to wear masks indoors, despite the Executive’s announcement to the contrary.
The success of our booster rollout, the tireless work of the NHS and the amazing public response means Plan B measures have ended in England today.
The pandemic is not over – everyone should remain cautious, and I urge anyone who hasn’t yet got their vaccine to come forward.
— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) January 27, 2022
These regulations were suppressed due to the commitment made by the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, to travel a path towards “complete normality”. Last week, in the House of Commons, the prime minister stated that the scientific body considered “that it is likely that the wave of the Omicron variant has already passed its peak.”
The relaxation of the measures that made up the so-called ‘Plan B’ of the Government, which came into force last December, occurs after reviewing the official data from last week, considering the rate of infections, the effectiveness of vaccination, pressures on the public health system (NHS), public conduct and judgment of scientists. Johnson had indicated that it was time to progressively “go back to Plan A in England and allow Plan B regulations to expire.”
Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London, reported that the masks will continue to be required in the transport services of the British capital and asked citizens to be responsible and “do the right thing”. Meanwhile, private organizations will retain the right to request the covid certificate from visitors.
The recent decision of the Government adds to the instructions to abandon teleworking whenever possible and the use of face masks in secondary school students inside the classroom, which had already been eliminated.
This Thursday, official figures released by the Ministry of Health indicate that in the United Kingdom there are 96,871 positive cases and 338 deaths in the last 24 hours.
with EFE