UK lifts COVID restrictions, says omicron wave ‘has peaked’

Most coronavirus restrictions including mandatory face masks were lifted in England on Thursday after Britain’s government said its vaccine booster rollout successfully reduced serious illness and COVID-19 hospitalizations.

From Thursday, face coverings are no longer required by law anywhere in England, and a legal requirement for COVID passes for entry into nightclubs and other large venues has been scrapped.

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

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 booster vaccine shot.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid said the government’s vaccine rollout, testing and development of antiviral treatments combine to make some of the strongest defenses in Europe, allowing a ‘cautious return’ to normality.

But he added that as we learn to live with COVID, we need to be clear-eyed that this virus is not going away.

Officials said that almost 84 percent of people over 12 years old in the UK have had their second vaccine dose, and that of those eligible, 81 percent have received their booster shot.

Hospital admissions and the number of people in intensive care units have stabilized or fallen, and daily cases have fallen from a peak of over 200,000 cases a day around New Year to under 100,000 in recent days.

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