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COVID-19: Working from home, COVID passports and mask-wearing to go as England Plan B rules to be lifted - and self-isolation set to go in March

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COVID-19: Working from home, COVID passports and mask-wearing to go as England Plan B rules to be lifted - and self-isolation set to go in March

Post by POSTMAN »

https://news.sky.com/story/covid-19-wor ... d-12519897

Boris Johnson says cases are falling and the Omicron wave has likely peaked nationally, meaning rules can now be eased.

Work from home guidance, COVID passports and mandatory wearing of face-masks will be scrapped in England, as Boris Johnson announced the lifting of Plan B measures.

The prime minister said people will no longer be told to work from home "from now on", and from Thursday next week mandatory mask-wearing and COVID certification will end.

He confirmed the intention to end self-isolation rules for people with coronavirus in the coming weeks. The legal requirement would lapse when the regulations expire on 24 March, he said, and that date could be brought forward.

The PM told the Commons cases were falling and the Omicron wave had likely peaked nationally, meaning rules could now be eased.

Mr Johnson said it was time to "trust the judgement" of the public on the use of masks in enclosed and crowded places, and they will be scrapped in classrooms from tomorrow.

Restrictions on visits to care homes would also be eased further, with Health Secretary Sajid Javid setting out plans "in the coming days".

The prime minister went through the latest COVID-19 data on Wednesday morning with his ministers, before making his statement to MPs.

What's the latest UK COVID data?

Coronavirus infection levels in three of the four UK nations - England, Scotland and Wales - have fallen for the first time since before Christmas, suggesting the peak of the latest wave of coronavirus may have passed.

An estimated one in 20 people in private households in England are likely to have had the virus in the week to 15 January - or around three million people - down from a record 3.7 million the previous week, according to the latest Office for National Statistics data.

For Northern Ireland the latest figure is also one in 20, but number of people testing positive is up slightly from 99,200 to 104,300, with the ONS describing the trend as "uncertain".

In Scotland, the figure is around one in 20, or 236,600 people, down from 297,400 - and in Wales the estimate is one in 25, or 112,100 people, down from 169,100.

Has Omicron peaked?

A further 94,432 lab-confirmed COVID cases were recorded in the UK as of 9am on Tuesday.

The highest number of new cases to be reported on a single day during the current wave was 218,724 on 4 January.

There were 19,450 people in hospital with the virus as of 17 January, which is down 2% week-on-week.

More than 34,000 people were in hospital with the virus at the peak of the second wave back in January 2021.

Meanwhile, another 438 people were reported to have died within 28 days of a positive test, taking the total since the pandemic began in 2020 to 152,513.

This figure is the highest daily total since last February, but Sky's science correspondent Thomas Moore said a "large part" of this is due to reporting delays.

Is the pandemic entering its endgame?

Mr Johnson signalled his intention to start treating COVID-19 more like flu, saying: "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.

"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."

More at the link.
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Re: COVID-19: Working from home, COVID passports and mask-wearing to go as England Plan B rules to be lifted - and self-isolation set to go in March

Post by POSTMAN »

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-60047438

England's Plan B measures are to end from next Thursday, with advice to work from home and Covid passports both dropped, Boris Johnson has announced.

Face coverings will no longer be mandatory - with the requirement dropped for secondary pupils in classrooms from tomorrow.

The PM said England was reverting to "Plan A" due to boosters and how people had followed Plan B measures.

He told MPs that scientists believed the Omicron wave had peaked nationally.

In a statement to MPs in the House of Commons, the prime minister confirmed mandatory Covid passports for entering nightclubs and large events will end, though organisations can choose to use the NHS Covid pass if they wish.

And face masks will no longer be mandated, though people are still advised to wear coverings in enclosed or crowded spaces, particularly when meeting strangers.

From Thursday, secondary school pupils will no longer have to wear face masks in classrooms and the Department of Education will remove guidance on their use in communal areas "shortly", the PM added.

The prime minister also said the government intended to end the legal requirement for people to self-isolate after they test positive for Covid.

He said while self-isolation regulations remain in place for now, as Covid becomes endemic they would need to be replaced with advice and guidance.

When the current self-isolation regulations expire on 24 March, Mr Johnson said he expected not to renew them. If the data allows, the government will "seek a vote in this House to bring that date forward", the PM added.

Restrictions on visits to care homes in England will also be eased further, with Health Secretary Sajid Javid setting out plans "in the coming days", the prime minister added.

Citing the latest infection study by the Office for National Statistics, Mr Johnson said its data showed that infections levels are falling in England. While cases are likely to continue rising in some places, scientists believe "it is likely that the Omicron wave has now peaked nationally", the prime minister said.

The weekly survey of private households estimates that Covid infection levels had fallen in England, Scotland and Wales for the first time since before Christmas.

Its estimates suggest that one in 20 people in England, one in 20 in Scotland and one in 25 in Wales would test positive for Covid in the week ending 15 January - while the trend in Northern Ireland was described as "uncertain".

Read more at the link.
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Re: COVID-19: Working from home, COVID passports and mask-wearing to go as England Plan B rules to be lifted - and self-isolation set to go in March

Post by daveyeff »

will this mean if you are off with covid it will be counted a normal sick leave now. i wouldv'e thought so if its now being classed in the same category as flu.
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