COVID hit our lives two years ago. We’re going on a third year. It has to end at some point, doesn’t it?
We’ve dealt with a number of strains, but Omicron hit a bit differently. It managed to be more contagious, yet the symptoms were much lighter. And now, many countries are seeing how Omicron is disappearing – and there’s no new variant taking its place.
The United Kingdom seems to be done with the pandemic. They’re tired of the masks and the mandates and the politics of it all. As a result, Boris Johnson is signaling that all of the restrictions will be eliminated in the not-so-distant future.
If Boris Johnson gets his say, all remaining COVID restrictions will cease to exist by March. It’s the chance to get things back to normal.
COVID cases have been dropping. MPs are already planning on a vote as to whether “Plan B” restrictions will be extended or not. Within the Tory Party, there’s been quite the rebellion as many have decided that enough is enough.
The vote will be taking place on January 26. It’s expected that the COVID passport requirements will disappear, though masking for public places may still remain for a while longer.
The U.K. was one of the strictest of lockdowns in Europe. If the plans succeed, they will quickly become one of the freest in Europe based on how they’re dealing with COVID.
One government source told “The Guardian” newspaper that “there’s a few legal powers still on the statute book, not least the requirements to self-isolate. At some point we will have to address them.”
The government may even get rid of the need to provide a negative test upon returning from a trip abroad. It could certainly open up the borders and allow for people to enjoy freedom once again. The only question is whether lifting the restrictions will give COVID new life or if the pandemic will continue to subside into the dark abyss in which it crawled out.
It seems that the U.K. is willing to look at COVID like the next strain of the flu. They are eager to get Brits back to their everyday lives. Shadow health secretary and Labour MP Wes Streeting explained, “We know that the coronavirus is here to stay but, as Labour’s Shadow Health Secretary, I don’t want to see our country in lockdown ever again.”
Amen. We don’t want to see the U.S. in lockdown ever again, either.
We have to be hopeful. The U.K. is moving in the right direction, and with both parties indicating that they want to see the lockdowns end, it could be just the kick that the U.S. needs to catch up with its allies across the pond.
Is the pandemic over? No. Do we get to start living our lives again? It’s possible.
The U.K. has already seen a decline in their COVID cases. The same is being said in many parts of the U.S. Cases in New York have dropped by nearly 30 percent…and 10 percent in Florida and other states. If only California would catch up with a decline, we might actually get somewhere.
It seems that all eyes will be on the U.K. first. We’ll let them lift restrictions and see what happens. Maybe, if all goes well, we’ll be able to convince Dr. Fauci, the CDC, and the rest of the Biden administration to lift the restrictions here, too.
