Freedom: England’s ‘Plan B’ Restrictions End Today

So-called ‘Plan B’ restrictions have ended in England, with widespread mask mandates being officially scrapped in the country from today.

England has now officially left “Plan B”, with widespread mask mandates no longer in effect from today.

The United Kingdom home nation has not fully escaped COVID measures however, moving to so-called “Plan A” measures which include allowing venues to require COVID certs on a voluntary basis.

As announced by the Prime Minister last week, the last of England’s “Plan B” measures — a widespread series of mask mandates and other rules — are no longer in effect from today.

Masks had previously been required in most public indoor venues, such as shops, cinemas, places of worship, theatres, and public transport.

Also scrapped is the mandatory use of England’s regime of COVID passes, which had been required for nightclubs as well as other venues where large numbers of people gather.

British Health Secretary, Sajid Javid, attributed the loosening of measures to the UK’s successful booster campaign, as well as the country’s regime of testing, jabs and treatment.

“Our vaccines, testing and antivirals ensure we have some of the strongest defences in Europe and are allowing us to cautiously return to Plan A, restoring more freedoms to this country,” Sky News reports Javid as saying.

“As we learn to live with COVID we need to be clear-eyed that this virus is not going away so if you haven’t already – please come forward for your first, second or booster jab,” the Health Secretary continued.

However, the timing of the loosening could also suggest that the move may have been part of Boris Johnson’s so-called “Operation Red Meat” plan to win back public support.

In response to the “Partygate” scandal, the Johnson government has gone on a charm offensive, implementing popular policy changes such as announcing the eventual abolition of the BBC tax, as well as discussing deploying the navy to command operations in the English Channel in the hopes of curtailing the migrant crisis.

While the removal of restrictions will no doubt be popular for Johnson’s base, some “Plan A” measures will remain in place within England.

According to the government’s official website, those aged 18 and over who are not considered fully vaccinated are still required to take a COVID test before travelling to England from outside the UK. A passenger locater form is also still required for all passengers arriving from outside this ‘common travel area’, consisting of the UK, Ireland, Isle of Man, and the Channel Islands.

Also, according to a report from The Guardian, organisations wishing to use the government’s system of COVID certs will continue to be able to do so, meaning that unjabbed individuals may still be discriminated against within the country.

Despite some measures remaining in place, England’s dramatic loosening of its COVID rules appears to have triggered a sea change, opening the floodgates for other countries across Europe to follow suit.

Since the country announced that it was dropping Plan B, Ireland, France, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and the Netherlands have all loosened restrictions, with Ireland in particular scrapping its internal regime of vaccine passes entirely last Saturday.

Despite this switch in attitude, however, other nations, such as Austria and Italy, have clamped down further on their populations, especially on those considered unvaccinated against the Chinese Coronavirus. Austria is marching towards mandatory vaccination orders and Germany is discussing implementing the same.

Some within England are also resisting the shift away from lockdown restrictions.

Around 100 schools within the country had announced that they will keep forcing students to wear masks, regardless of the fact that the government has long since announced an end to the measure.

Government officials have since complained that schools should be following the government guidelines.

“We have been clear we have removed the requirement for face masks to be worn in classrooms and will remove advice for face masks to be worn in communal areas from 27 January,” a statement from Downing Street on the topic read.

“Children have been one of the hardest hit as a result of this disruption through the pandemic and we recognise the impact this has had on their education,” the statement continued.

Meanwhile, London’s leftist mayor, Sadiq Khan, has announced that he will also continue forcing those using Transport for London services to wear masks, having the power to do so thanks to London’s by-laws.

“Reminder: wearing a face covering is still mandatory on all TfL services unless you’re exempt,” Khan wrote online. “I’ll wear mine when I’m out and about. Please continue to wear yours.”