Follow us on Telegram for the latest updates: https://t.me/mothershipsg

Starting Jan. 27, face coverings will no longer be required by law anywhere in England, as most Covid-19 restrictions have been lifted there, AP reported.

Britain’s government said its vaccine booster roll-out successfully reduced serious illness and Covid-19 hospitalisations, which allowed the easing of measures.

Along with the no mask needed mandate, the legal requirement for Covid-19 passes for entry into nightclubs and other large venues has also been scrapped.

A week before this latest measures were announced, the government dropped its advice for people to work from home, as well as guidance for face coverings in classrooms.

Some masking still needed

But precautions remain.

As the government moved away from legal measures, London Mayor Sadiq Khan said face coverings will still be required on the capital's buses and subway trains.

Some shops are still asking consumers to mask up.

The legal requirement for those infected to self-isolate for five full days remains.

Treating Covid-19 like flu

But that measure will end soon to be replaced with advice and guidance for those infected to be cautious.

Health officials have said they are planning to treat Covid-19 more like the flu as a long-term strategy.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid said the government’s vaccine roll-out, testing and development of antiviral treatments combine to allow a “cautious return” to normality.

But he added that Omicron remained prevalent across the country, especially among children and the elderly.

Prior to the lifting of restrictions, hospital admissions and the number of people in intensive care units have stabilised or fallen.

Daily cases have fallen from a peak of over 200,000 cases a day around New Year to under 100,000 in recent days.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said in the third week of January 2022 that the surge of Omicron infections “has now peaked nationally”.

Top photo via Unsplash

Follow and listen to our podcast here