Boris Johnson has said that Plan B Covid-19 measures will expire from the 26th of January.
In the announcement made today during PMQs, Boris told parliament that mandatory face masks in classrooms and the order to work from home are among the measures that will end from next week.
In full, the end of Plan B measures means that there will be an end to mandatory Covid passes in England, face masks will no longer be mandatory in classrooms and public transport and care home restrictions will be reviewed.
Notably, Boris also announced that from the 24th of March, the requirement to self-isolate if you test positive for Covid-19 will expire and he does not expect to extend it past this date. Boris will also seek a vote to bring this date forward.
Boris said: “On Monday we reduced the isolation period to five full days with two negative tests, and 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.”
The announcements follow a gruelling political period for Boris as the fallout from the government’s garden parties continues.
Boris faces continued calls to resign and was surprised today when Conservative MP Christian Wakeford announced he was switching over to the Labour party minutes before PMQs.
Christian said: “I have wrestled with my conscience for many months, and you will know that I have made my policy misgivings clear on many occasions in private and sometimes in public. I can no longer support a government that has shown itself consistently out of touch with the hard-working people of Bury South and the country as a whole.
“Under Keir Starmer, the Labour Party is back firmly in the centre of British politics, in touch with working people, and ready to provide an alternative government that this country can be proud of, and not embarrassed by.”
(Image Credit: Shutterstock)