UK scraps all COVID restrictions while Biden doubles down on mask campaign and ...

UK scraps all COVID restrictions while Biden doubles down on mask campaign and ...
UK scraps all COVID restrictions while Biden doubles down on mask campaign and ...

U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced Wednesday that the U.K. will scrap virtually all national COVID restrictions in March, just as U.S. President Joe Biden has announced plans to ramp up efforts with masking and vaccination to contain the Omicron variant in America.

'Our scientists believe it is likely that the Omicron wave has now peaked nationally,' Johnson said Wednesday.

According to data derived from global scientific online publication Our World in Data, for every million residents, the UK has seen an average of approximately 1,400 positive COVID cases per week as of January 19 - a paltry .1 percent.

The U.S., meanwhile, boasts nearly twice as many weekly infections for each million residents, with a reported 2,233 cases, according to statistics.  

The startling disparity can be partially attributed to the countries' differing strategies when it comes to dealing with the recent Omicron surge.  

The U.K. Prime Minister said the Government is no longer asking people to work from home. He called on people to speak to their employers about arrangements for returning to the office. 

Meanwhile, across the Atlantic, U.S. companies are doing the opposite, and sending employees to work from home amid the omicron surge. 

From today, secondary school pupils in the U.K. will not have to wear face coverings in classrooms. The requirement to wear masks in corridors and other communal areas will end next Thursday, January 27.

In the U.S., children are required to wear masks in classrooms across the country, and the nation's premiere health agency has urged citizens to double-mask and don the more effective N-95 mask as opposed to other, less effective cloth masks.  

In the U.S., mask and social distancing rules have been mandated on a state-by-state basis while the Biden administration's efforts to take sweeping nationals actions are bogged down in the courts. 

The US, meanwhile, boasts nearly twice as many weekly infections for each million residents, with a reported 2,233 cases, despite stricter guidelines from the government

The US, meanwhile, boasts nearly twice as many weekly infections for each million residents, with a reported 2,233 cases, despite stricter guidelines from the government

According to data derived from global scientific online publication Our World in Data, for every million residents, the UK has seen an average of approximately 1,400 positive COVID cases per week as of January 19, suggesting the Omicron surge may be starting to level off

According to data derived from global scientific online publication Our World in Data, for every million residents, the UK has seen an average of approximately 1,400 positive COVID cases per week as of January 19, suggesting the Omicron surge may be starting to level off

From next Thursday, the U.K. Government will no longer legally mandate the wearing of face coverings in shops and on public transport. But they will continue to suggest masks should be worn in enclosed and crowded places where people could come into contact with those they do not normally meet. The Prime Minister said this meant the Government will 'trust the judgment of the British people and no longer criminalize anyone who chooses not to wear one'.

In the U.S., the White House has pledged that it will soon ship 400 million N95 masks to U.S. pharmacies and community health centers to be given away - a move that was blasted by scientists who believe it comes too late to be effective against the recent Omicron surge. 

In the U.K., proof of vaccination or a recent negative test will no longer be needed to enter nightclubs and large venues from next Thursday. But businesses will still be free to use the NHS Covid Pass if they want.

Meanwhile, in the U.S., most restaurants and large venues across the nation require proof of vaccination.

The U.K. has allowed residents to order up to seven tests delivered to their door daily, but free Covid lateral flow tests look set to be scrapped by July. People will be pointed towards an online

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