In a statement to MPs at the House of Commons, Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed yesterday that England is dropping its Plan B contingency measures implemented due to the Omicron outbreak and going back to Plan A.
“Because of the extraordinary booster campaign, together with the way the public has responded to the Plan B measures, we can return to Plan A in England and allow Plan B regulations to expire,” as the Prime Minister told parliament.
According to the full statement, people are no longer required to work from home, effective immediately. Starting next Thursday (January 27), most other Plan B measures will expire, and the compulsory use of Covid status certification will end.
As for wearing face masks, they will no longer be mandatory in classrooms starting tomorrow (January 20) nor anywhere else as of next Thursday.
Prime Minister also confirmed the government’s intention to end self-isolation when the regulations expire on March 24 and added that he very much expects not to renew them.
The news comes as Omicron infection levels are falling dramatically in most parts of the country for the first time since early December. As the Prime Minister announced in his statement: “Our scientists believe it is likely that the omicron wave has now peaked nationally.”
