A strange sight is seen in London as soon as you land at Heathrow Airport. While Covid cases in the United Kingdom are on the rise, some have worn face masks as the requirement has been eased in England, as well as curbing most of the pandemic.
Travel to the UK is restriction-free and there is no longer a need for a negative COVID-19 report. Free mass testing will also stop in England from 1 April. At least two shop workers told News18 that most pharmacies in London are not offering free rapid-testing kits this week to avoid people hoarding them in the coming days. Free Covid testing centers across the city also looked deserted in the last 10 days. The lack of masked faces is the most shocking sight in London.
“Our prime minister (Boris Johnson) has said that there is no longer any need to wear a mask. We are also double-jabbed and recently got our booster dose as well. Things are open and the fear of Covid is almost gone here, which is good,” Stephanie and Jane, friends traveling on a London double-decker bus from Oxford Circus, told News18 this week. Stephanie says she got covid last year, but she was fine. He was not wearing a mask, as most were on the bus. Some masked faces can be seen on the London Underground, but in most public places, no matter how crowded they are, masks are scarce.
This looks disappointing as the UK has an increasing number of Covid cases, with around 89,000 reported on 30 March, and the average for the past 7 days being around 1.12 lakh per day. So far, around 20,000 people have been hospitalized due to the infection. But the UK is banking on its strategy of “living with the virus”, it has an exceptionally high vaccination rate, with 92% of people above 12 getting their first dose, 86% getting their second dose and almost 68% are getting boosters. The third dose too, according to the latest figures from the government. The booster or third dose actually exceeds the first or second dose daily count in the UK now.
The BBC recently reported that masks are no longer legally required in most public places, but that it is “recommended and encouraged” that people still wear face coverings in enclosed or private spaces where they interact with others. are what they do not know. Masks are not mandatory on the Tube, trains or buses of London or at Heathrow Airport. It seems quite strange to tourists who come here, especially from Europe or Asia, as found in the conversation.
“We are diligently wearing face masks and trying to social distance while out in public places, but now no one wears masks. Most scientific advice says that masks are the best defense against COVID-19. We’re wearing masks to protect others, but we definitely don’t want to fall sick here on vacation,” Telissa and her partner, Germany’s Martin, told News18 near the London Eye. They cite the strict rules still in place in Germany regarding the wearing and testing of face masks. Some tourists from the subcontinent, visiting the British Museum, expressed a similar sentiment, saying that everyone should wear masks.
The Financial Times reported on 31 March that when ministers end free mass testing in England on 1 April, Covid-19 infections are expected to near a record high. It said scientists and public health officials fear the move would leave the country ill-equipped to react to the ever-changing threat of the pandemic. “It is almost certain that by the end of the year a new version will come out and it will be a struggle to wind up testing,” said a professor of mathematical sciences. The FT said it is expected to be hit by a rapidly growing wave driven by the highly infectious Omicron ba.2 sub-version.
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