Tough Covid-19 restrictions were enforced amid the rapid spread of the highly-transmissible Omicron variant.
When might Plan B restrictions end – and what are the current rules in place?
Here’s all you need to know.
It’s thought that Plan B restrictions – or at least some of them – could come to an end by the end of January.
The guidance relating to working from home and vaccine passports being needed for certain size venues could be lifted as soon as January 26, when they are due to expire, with reports that Boris Johnson could announce the changes as soon as this week.
The Cabinet will examine the latest Covid-19 data this morning before the PM makes a statement in Parliament this afternoon.
While it’s thought that the guidance on working from home and vaccine passports will be scrapped, other restrictions – such as mandatory face masks in indoor venues – are likely to remain in place for a little longer.
Government scientists have reportedly provided evidence that offers support for the change, with modelling from SAGE showing that the restrictions make little difference to hospital admissions.
Ultimately, the decision will be weighed up based on the NHS, which remains ‘under significant pressure’.
The ‘maximum amount of time possible’ will be given to prepare for any rule changes, the PM’s spokesman said.
Reports suggest the move is also reported to be part of the Prime Minister’s strategy to survive as he faces fresh claims of government rule-breaking during the pandemic – with the PM being forced to apologise in recent days for an event which took place in the Downing Street garden in May 2020 at the height of lockdown.
No 10 also apologised to Buckingham Palace after it emerged that two staff parties were held on the eve of Prince Philip’s funeral in April 2021.
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Under current guidelines, these are the Plan B rules in England.
Vaccine passports are mandatory in a ‘limited number of settings, with specific characteristics’, including nightclubs and crowded indoor venues with more than 500 attendees.
Vaccine certificates are also compulsory for unseated outdoor crowded settings with more than 4,000 people and any venue with 10,000 or more attendees, such as large football stadiums.
This means you either need to provide proof of your vaccine status or provide a negative test in order to enter these venues.
You can access your NHS Covid-19 pass in England on the NHS website.
You must work from home ‘if you can’, a directive which brings England in line with Scotland.
Announcing the changes, Boris Johnson said people ‘work from home if you can. Go to work if you must, but work from home if you can.’
Mandatory mask-wearing in shops and on public transport was dropped in England on July 19 – dubbed at the time as ‘Freedom Day’.
Face masks had already been made mandatory again in shops and on public transport, but in the wake of Omicron the requirement was extended to ‘most indoor settings’ in England, including cinemas and theatres.
Announcing the changes, Boris Johnson said: ‘As always we must stress with a new variant there are many things that we just cannot know at this early stage.
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‘It has become increasingly clear that Omicron is growing much faster than the previous Delta variant and is spreading rapidly all around the world.
‘Most worryingly, there is evidence that the doubling time of Omicron could currently be between two and three days.’
‘As a result it might in part reduces the protection of our vaccines over time so we need to take targeted and proportionate measures now as a precaution while we find out more and first we need to slow down the seeding of this variant in our country.
It is worth noting that Plan B restrictions only apply to England. The rest of the UK dictate their own coronavirus rules and safety measures.
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