UK PM Boris Johnson announces Face mask rules & COVID passes to end in England

United Kingdom's (UK) Prime Minister Boris Johnson has declared that England's Plan B measures, including required face coverings in public places and COVID passports, will be phased out starting next Thursday. The prime minister also stated that the government would stop advising individuals to work from home right now. Due to boosters and how people had embraced Plan B measures, the PM declared England was back to "Plan A." Scientists felt the Omicron wave had peaked nationally, PM Johnson told MPs at a press conference.

The prime minister announced in a statement to MPs in the House of Commons that mandatory COVID passports for entering nightclubs and large events will be phased out, while organisations might opt to use the NHS COVID-19 pass instead. Johnson said from now the government would no longer advise people to work from home, and that people should discuss their return to offices with employers. Face masks will no longer be required, while it is still recommended that people use them in enclosed or crowded areas, especially when meeting strangers.

UK government to end self-isolation rule

Secondary school students will no longer be required to wear face masks in class beginning Thursday, and the Department of Education will shortly withdraw instructions on their use in common spaces, according to the PM. Johnson also stated that the government intends to repeal the legal requirement that people self-isolate after testing positive for COVID-19. While self-isolation restrictions remained in place for the time being, he warned they would need to be replaced with counsel and support as COVID became ubiquitous.

UK Health Secretary Sajid Javid will lay out measures in the coming days to loosen restrictions on visits to care facilities in England, according to the prime minister. At 17:00 GMT, Mr Javid will host a Downing Street briefing with Dr Susan Hopkins, the UK Health Security Agency's chief medical adviser. Johnson cited the Office for National Statistics' latest infection research as evidence that infection levels in England were declining. According to the weekly survey of private households, COVID infection levels in England, Scotland, and Wales have dropped for the first time since before Christmas. 

Image: AP