England rolls back COVID curbs as omicron threat recedes

England downsized its COVID-19 restrictions on Thursday after a so-called successful rollout of vaccine booster shots by the British government that helped in cutting down hospitalisations. The removal of face mask mandate was on the substantial rollbacks.

The requirement of showing a COVID-19 pass to enter nightclubs, large and crowded venues was taken down on Thursday, in addition to the removing a face mask mandate.

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Britain’s lowering COVID-19 numbers have largely been credited to the development of antiviral treatments, testing and a strong vaccine rollout by United Kingdom Health Secretary Sajid Javid. He described it as “some of the strongest defenses in Europe” that has allowed a “cautious return” to normality.

However, the removal of restrictions came with a warning for people as they “learn to live with COVID.” Health Secretary Javid said that the virus is not going away, as the omicron variant still dominates the coronavirus tally and remains prevalent in the country.

The government last week dropped its advice for people to work from home as well as guidance for face coverings in classrooms, according to reports from Associated Press.

The so-called “Plan B” measures were introduced in early December to stop the rapid spread of the omicron variant from overwhelming health services and to buy time for the population to get its COVID-19 booster vaccine shot.

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United Kingdom‘s population has responded positively to the vaccine rollout. 84% of people over the age of 12 have received to doses of vaccine. About 81% of the eligible British people have also been given the booster shot.

COVID-19 statistics have also experienced a significant dip in the last week. Fresh coronavirus cases in the country have fallen from a peak of over 200,000 cases a day around New Year to under 100,000 in recent days. However, omicron continues to be the dominant variant in the country.