Plan B Covid restrictions are to end in England, with Covid passes no longer required from 27th January, work from home guidance lifted, and an end to mandatory face-coverings, Boris Johnson has announced.
“From tomorrow, we will no longer require face masks in classrooms and the Department for Education will shortly remove national guidance on their use in communal areas.
“In the country at large we will continue to suggest the use of face coverings in enclosed or crowded spaces, particularly when you come into contact with people you don’t normally meet – but we will trust the judgment of the British people and no longer criminalise anyone who chooses not to wear one.”
Mr Johnson’s announcement was met with audible shouts of delight from his own party’s benches. The PM also confirmed that some Covid measures would stay in place for now, such as on travel, and the legal requirement for a person who tests positive to self-isolate for five days.
But he MPs that “there will soon come a time when we can remove the legal requirement to self-isolate altogether, just as we don’t place legal obligations on people to isolate if they have flu” and that this point would likely be reached before March.
“As Covid becomes endemic, we will need to replace legal requirements with advice and guidance, urging people with the virus to be careful and considerate of others,” he said.
“The self-isolation regulations expire on March 24, at which point I very much expect not to renew them. Indeed, were the data to allow, I’d like to seek a vote in this House to bring that date forward.”
This is very welcome news but the government has so far refused to backtrack on the firing of unvaccinated NHS staff so the pressure must be kept up to have this overturned. It should also be a cause for concern that the Coronavirus Act has yet to be repealed, meaning that the government could introduce new restrictions with little parliamentary scrutiny. We would suggest writing to your MP to state your feelings on these two issues and asking them to vote accordingly.
