England is handing over its masks and health passports, after lifting almost all of the latest anti-COVID restrictions on Thursday, although some are approaching this newfound freedom with caution.
It’s a “big relief”, admits Jessie Wright, 19, an apprentice in human resources, even if “it’s still a little scary” and that she “always keeps a mask” on her. “It’s been almost two years, and being stuck inside or being forced to stay outside has been exhausting, especially for someone my age,” she told Agence France-Presse.
After ending a week ago the recommendation to work from home for those who can, England is now dropping other restrictions — among the lightest in Europe — introduced in December in the face of the flood of Omicron cases: obligation to wear a mask indoors in public places and a vaccination passport for events with a large audience.
The government also announced on Thursday that residents of nursing homes — 86.5% of whom have received their booster dose of vaccine — will be able to receive an unlimited number of visitors from Monday. If they test positive for coronavirus, they will have to isolate themselves for less time.
The mayor of London Sadiq Khan has however announced that it will maintain the obligation to wear a mask on public transport in the capital. Some supermarket chains such as Sainsbury’s, Waitrose or Morrisons also ask their customers to do so.
James Hughes, 57, lighting designer in the building, will continue to wear his mask when the place requires it. “I’m worried there’s still a virus circulating and I’m not sure people will take it seriously now,” he said.
For him, this great relaxation is above all an attempt by Prime Minister Boris Johnson, entangled in the “partygate” scandal, to “save his skin”.
“Save your skin”
This wind of freedom is timely for Boris Johnson, more than ever weakened at the head of the government by the holiday scandal in Downing Street in defiance of anti-coronavirus rules.
He welcomed this new step on Twitter while warning that “the pandemic is not over”: “Everyone must remain careful, and I urge all those who have not yet received their vaccine to manifest”.
More reluctant than the rest of the United Kingdom (Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) to implement restrictions, England had, for the first time, lifted them almost entirely on July 19, nicknamed the ” freedom day.
But the emergence in the fall of the Omicron variant, even more contagious than Delta, led Boris Johnson’s government to launch its “plan B”, despite the opposition of part of its majority.
These measures were intended to strengthen the protection of the population thanks to the recall campaign and to continue to try to convince the recalcitrant to be vaccinated. A total of 37 million booster doses were thus administered, allowing, underlines the government, to reduce serious cases and hospitalizations and to reduce the pressure on the health system.
According to the latest figures, 64% of the population over the age of 12 received a third dose.
As the number of cases exploded over the holidays, Boris Johnson had resisted calls to further toughen the restrictions in place. He believes that the facts proved him right: hospitals held on, the number of patients on ventilators never increased and cases fell sharply.
However, the United Kingdom, among the countries hardest hit by the pandemic with nearly 155,000 deaths, is still experiencing nearly 100,000 new cases recorded daily and very high infection rates among children and adolescents.
The Prime Minister even hopes to be able to lift the obligation to isolate themselves in the event of a positive test in March, “just as there is no legal obligation for people who have the flu to isolate themselves”.