Most COVID-19 restrictions are being lifted in England over the coming days, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said, as he set out his ambition for a transition to "living with” the virus — including the end of mandatory isolation for positive cases — by the end of March.
People are no longer being asked to work from home, and rules forcing people to wear face masks in shops and on public transport will be dropped from Jan. 27, Johnson told the House of Commons on Wednesday. Mandatory COVID-19 passes for businesses will also end next week.
The move unwinds rules put in place in December, when the omicron variant was spreading rapidly across the U.K. "Scientists believe it is likely that the omicron wave has now peaked nationally,” Johnson said.