U.K. lifts nearly all remaining virus controls
As nightclubs across England threw open their doors for the first time in 16 months and people embraced on crowded dance floors into the dawn Monday, the nation that had imposed one of the most stringent and longest lockdowns in the world removed nearly all legal restrictions on social interactions.
But “Freedom Day,” as the longdesired and longdelayed milestone has been labeled in the British media, is a moment fraught with risk and no small amount of confusion.
Case numbers have continued to surge, reaching levels seen during the peak of Britain’s previous virus wave in January — although the numbers of deaths and hospitalizations have been a fraction of those in past waves.
Even as legal restrictions were lifted, hundreds of thousands of people were undergoing 10day quarantines as part of the National Health Service’s test, trace and isolate program, many prompted by an official app that automatically “pings” users who have come into close contact with someone who tested positive for the virus.
More than 500,000 people were pinged in the first week of July — approaching 1% of England’s population. Only hours before the rules were lifted, Prime Minister Boris Johnson was himself forced to go into selfisolation after his government’s health secretary tested positive.
The cascade of isolations has begun to cause staff shortages in pubs, restaurants and other workplaces. The London Underground’s Metropolitan line was closed Saturday evening because so many staff members were pinged by the app.
As of Monday, face masks were no longer legally required in England, workfromhome guidance ended and, with social distancing rules shelved, no limits existed on the number of people attending theater performances or major events.