England abandons most restrictions against mutant Omicron

 On Thursday, England abandoned most of the restrictions imposed to combat the mutant Omicron, including the mandatory wearing of masks and possession of health permits, in a move that some treated with caution while the British government hopes that the population will coexist with Covid as they do with influenza.

Jesse Wright, 19, told AFP that the lifting of health restrictions is a "great relief", acknowledging at the same time that the epidemiological situation is "still a little frightening" and that she always keeps a muzzle with her for this purpose.

 "It's been almost two years and being forced to stay at home or have to stay abroad is stressful, especially for someone my age," added the young woman, who works in human resources.

 After ending a week ago the recommendation to work from home for those who can do so, the authorities in England lifted on Thursday other restrictions, which are already among the least severe in Europe, they had imposed in December to respond to the outbreak of Omicron, the mutated version of Covid-19, including  It is mandatory to wear a mask in closed public places and to have a health permit to participate in any event attended by a large crowd.

 The government also announced Thursday that residents of nursing homes, of whom 86.5% have received a booster dose of one of the anti-Covid vaccines - will again be able, as of Monday, to receive an unlimited number of visitors.  And if it turns out that one of these inmates has corona, he will have to undergo a quarantine for a shorter time than was previously imposed.

 save himself

 However, London Mayor Sadiq Khan has announced that public transport in the capital will keep the mandatory wearing of masks for its passengers and drivers.

 The same applies to some major supermarket chains such as Sainsbury's, Morrisons and Waitrose, which asked their customers to wear masks while they were inside these stores.

 But a section of the population will not wait for the directions of the authorities or stores to put the muzzle, as it will do so on its own whenever it sees a benefit to itself or others.

 James Hughes, 57, told AFP that he would not give up wearing a mask on every occasion when he found it necessary to do so.

 And he added, “I fear the virus will continue to spread and I am not sure that people will take it seriously now,” considering that this great relaxation in health restrictions is an attempt by Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who is involved in the “Party Gate” scandal (parties organized in Downing Street during periods of time).  closing), "to save himself".

 In fact, the easing of these restrictions comes at the best time for Johnson, who today finds himself weaker than ever at the head of the government due to the scandal of parties held during closing periods at the Prime Minister's Residence.

 In a tweet on Twitter, the prime minister welcomed the easing of health restrictions, while warning that "the pandemic is not over yet."

"Everyone should remain vigilant, and I urge all those who have not yet been vaccinated to do so," Johnson said.

In general, England has been more reluctant than the rest of the United Kingdom (Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) to re-impose health restrictions since July 19, which was called "Freedom Day" because it witnessed the lifting of most of the strict health restrictions that were in place to combat the pandemic.

 However, the appearance in the fall of Omicron, which is more contagious than the previous one, Delta, prompted the Johnson government to launch "Plan B", despite opposition to that plan from a section of the government majority.

 The measures stipulated in this plan aimed to enhance the protection of the population by organizing a campaign to vaccinate the population with the booster dose and continuing to try to convince the undecided of the need to receive the vaccine.

This campaign has succeeded in getting a total of 37 million people to receive the booster dose, an achievement that has allowed the government to reduce severe cases of the disease and hospitalizations, and thus reduce pressure on the health system.

According to the latest official figures, 64% of the population over 12 years of age received the third dose.

 With the number of people infected with Covid increasing during the holidays, Johnson has resisted calls to tighten restrictions imposed to combat the pandemic.  Today, the Prime Minister uses numbers to prove the correctness of his decision, as the country's health system has remained resilient and the number of patients on respirators has never increased, and the number of injuries has decreased significantly.

 However, the United Kingdom is still among the countries most affected by the pandemic, with nearly 155,000 deaths and nearly 100,000 new infections daily, with very high infection rates among children and adolescents.

 Indeed, the Prime Minister hopes that the government will be able to abolish, next March, the mandatory quarantine imposed on people with Covid, “similar to the situation with people with influenza, as there is no legal obligation for them to quarantine themselves.”