Coronavirus: Boris Johnson calls an end to most restrictions in England; Germany tops 100,000 cases daily
- People will no longer have to wear masks in closed spaces, work from home and prove vaccination to enter public spaces such as nightclubs, said British PM
- As Germany tops 100,000 daily coronavirus cases for first time, police uncover a surge in fake vaccine certificates; US to distribute 400 million free masks
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday said most restrictions deployed to fight the latest wave of the Covid pandemic in England would be lifted from next week.
People will no longer have to wear masks in closed spaces, work from home and prove vaccination to enter public spaces such as nightclubs, Johnson told parliament.
“Because of the extraordinary booster campaign … we can return to Plan A in England and allow Plan B regulations to expire,” Johnson said.
Last month, England switched to “Plan B” to cope with what Johnson called a “tidal wave” of expected infections from the Omicron variant. But he had to fight his own party to get the changes into law, as Conservative colleagues called the restrictions a step too far and a curb to public freedoms.
The relaxing of restrictions have been seen as a concession to critics angry at revelations that he and his staff broke Covid-19 lockdown rules by holding parties at Downing Street.
