Covid news: Commuters head back to work as NHS staff absences fall in every region of England

Work-from-home advice and rules on face coverings in classrooms have ended after Plan B measures to curb the spread of Omicron were axed.

Other measures including the mandatory use of face masks on public transport and in shops and the NHS Covid pass will also end next Thursday.

The government hopes to see the legal requirement for people with coronavirus to self-isolate scrapped when regulations expire on 24 March.

Health secretary Sajid Javid said we must “learn to live with” Covid – but also urged caution.

He told Sky News: “Covid is not going away, it’s going to be with us for many, many years - perhaps forever - and we have to learn to live with it.

“We do still need of course to remain cautious; prevalence remains high.”

Asked whether self-isolation rules would be scrapped in March, he added: “We are not there yet –that’s a few weeks away.

“We’ve said we would review those rules and we would like to see it scrapped by the end of March but that decision will be made closer to the time.”

Key Points

• Sajid Javid ‘optimistic’ self-isolation rules will end in March

• Work-from-home guidance and face coverings in classrooms axed

• UK 'past the peak’ of omicron wave as cases drop by nearly a million

04:24 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of the coronavirus pandemic. Stay tuned for rolling updates and statistics.

Mask wearing, other plan B restrictions to end in England

04:42 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday announced the end of all precautionary measures introduced to fight the Omicron variant of the coronavirus.

Mandatory face masks will no longer be required across England from next week while advice for people to work from home will be dropped immediately, the prime minister said.

He announced his decision to MPs in the Commons about the axing of all Plan B measures, which included the use of mandatory Covid passes for nightclubs and large events.

Jane Kirby has more.

Work-from-home guidance and face masks axed in England, says Johnson

UK in 'very strong position' in fight against Covid

04:43 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

The UK is in a strong position in the fight against the coronavirus due to successful vaccine rollouts and high degrees of natural immunity, a health expert has said.

“I don’t think Omicron will be the last variant – this virus remains very plastic; it will continue to evolve and it will continue to change around the world. But the UK, in particular, and some other countries are in a very, very strong position now,” Sir Jeremy Farrar, director of the Wellcome Trust and former SAGE advisor said.

Furvah Shah reports.

UK in ‘very strong position’ in fight against Covid, health expert says

Omicron races through France, Germany

04:57 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

France and Germany reported record single-day high coronavirus cases on Wednesday.

France recorded 464,769 new cases in the last 24-hour period driven by the highly contagious Omicron variant of the virus.

Germany reported 112,323 new cases on Wednesday, even as the health ministry said the country has not reached the peak of the Omicron wave. Health Minister Karl Lauterbach said he expected the wave to peak in a few weeks around mid-February.

Travel bans are not effective, reiterates WHO

05:19 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Wednesday reiterated that international travel bans are not effective in suppressing the spread of Omicron.

The UN’s health body in a statement said that travel restrictions that were introduced to curb the spread of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus “do not provide added value and continue to contribute to the economic and social stress”.

“Travel measures should be based on risk assessments and avoid placing the financial burden on international travellers,” it added.

Several countries were quick to suspend flights to and from southern African countries in November 2021 after the discovery of the new variant.

FDA could authorise Covid vaccine for kids under 5 next month

05:36 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Anthony Fauci on Wednesday said that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) could approve Pfizer and BioNTech’s Covid-19 vaccine for children below the age of five in the next month.

“They’re determining now that for children within that age group, it is likely that it will be a three-dose vaccine,” the White House chief medical adviser said during an interview with Blue Star Families.

“My hope is that it’s going to be within the next month or so and not much later than that, but I can’t guarantee that,” Dr Fauci said.

He also predicted that most states in the US would be past the Omicron peak by mid-February.

“I would imagine as we get into February, into the middle of February, first few weeks of February, it is very likely that most of the states in the country will have turned around with their peak and are starting to come down with regard to cases, and then obviously hospitalisations,” he added.

KN95 and N95 masks: Which one should one opt for?

06:13 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is reportedly considering recommending that those who can, should wear a higher standard of mask when in public – specifically the KN95 and N95 masks.

Both N95 and KN95 masks work by fitting tightly to the face and filtering air using multiple layers of material designed to trap extremely small particles, something that common cloth or disposable masks cannot do nearly as reliably.

While N95 respirator masks are the recommended high-standard face covering for healthcare workers, they can feel harder to breathe through than the standard ones, and are more expensive.KN95s, meanwhile, are cheaper and more widely available.

Andrew Naughtie has more.

KN95 and N95 masks: Which does the CDC recommend, and can you reuse them?

Ardern rules out new lockdown for New Zealand

06:43 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Thursday said that New Zealand will not go into lockdown in the event of an Omicron outbreak.

She said that an outbreak was inevitable and the Pacific nation would tighten restrictions as soon as the first case of Omicron gets detected.

“This stage of the pandemic is different to what we have dealt with before. Omicron is more transmissible. That is going to make it harder to keep it out, but it will also make it more challenging to control once it arrives,” Ms Ardern said.

The prime minister stressed that within 24 to 48 hours of Omicron being detected in the community, the nation would move to its “red” level for Covid restrictions.

India records highest one-day spike in over eight months

07:09 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

India on Thursday registered 317,532 new coronavirus infections, the highest in over eight months since the country was battered by the Delta variant.

There has been a 3.63 per cent increase in Omicron cases with the current tally being at 9,287 as of Thursday.

The country’s Covid-19 death toll rose to 487,693 with 491 fresh fatalities, the health ministry said.

08:50 , Chiara Giordano

Good morning and welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of the coronavirus pandemic. I’ll be taking over from my colleague to bring you the news and statistics as some Covid rules, including working from home advice, end today.

Work-from-home guidance and face coverings in schools axed

08:51 , Chiara Giordano

Work-from-home advice and rules on face coverings in classrooms have ended today after the government axed Plan B measures to curb the spread of the Omicron variant of coronavirus.

Other measures including the mandatory use of face masks on public transport and in shops and the NHS Covid pass will end next Thursday.

The government also hopes to see the legal requirement for people with coronavirus to self-isolate scrapped when regulations expire on 24 March.

‘We must learn to live with Covid,’ says Sajid Javid as rules scrapped

09:00 , Chiara Giordano

Health secretary Sajid Javid has said we must “learn to live with” Covid – but also urged caution as the virus is still prevalent in the UK.

He told Sky News’ Kay Burley this morning: “Covid is not going away, it’s going to be with us for many, many years - perhaps forever - and we have to learn to live with it.

“We do still need of course to remain cautious; prevalence remains high.”

Asked whether self-isolation rules would be scrapped when regulations expire on 24 March, he added: “We are not there yet –that’s a few weeks away.

“We’ve said we will review those rules closer to the time but would like to see that happen.”

People should make ‘personal judgement’ on wearing face masks when rules end, says Javid

09:10 , Chiara Giordano

Health secretary Sajid Javid has said he will continue to wear a face mask going shopping when Plan B Covid restrictions lift in England.

Mr Javid said people would have to make their own "personal judgement" about what precautions to take as legal requirements come to an end.

"Will I be wearing a face mask? Yeah, I think I probably would be in a week's time," he told BBC Breakfast.

"Because prevalence is still high and there will be people there, especially if I am going to my local shop which is small and enclosed and can have quite a few people in there at one time in quite a small space, I don't know most of those people, I think that would be sensible.

"I think it will be sensible on the tube in London, for example - quite an enclosed space.

"People will be asked to make their own personal judgment just as we do in fighting flu."

Sajid Javid defends decision to end classroom face mask requirement

09:44 , Chiara Giordano

Health secretary Sajid Javid has defended the decision to end the requirement for schoolchildren to wear face masks in class as Covid Plan B restrictions lift in England.

Mr Javid said, while prevalence remained high, case numbers were falling across the country and ministers had to consider the impact of mask-wearing on children's education.

"There has long been a debate about face masks, particularly in schools. The government's job is to take a balanced and proportionate decision, in this case balanced against the best interests of children," he told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme.

"It is harder to teach children and it will have an impact on their education if they are required to wear face mask at all times in classrooms."

He added: "Case numbers are falling in every part of the country, we are starting to see hospitalisations falling throughout England, in every area they are stabilised, in most areas they are starting to fall."

Sajid Javid ‘optimistic’ self-isolation rules will end in March

09:48 , Chiara Giordano

Sajid Javid has said he is “optimistic” the legal requirement for people in England to self-isolate with Covid can be lifted in coming weeks.

The health secretary said the government was approaching a “decision point” and that it would be “guided by the data” in coming to a judgement.

“The current legislation is expiring in March unless parliament decides to renew it. As a government, we have to make a decision on that,” he told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme.

“We will make it in the next few weeks but it will be guided by the data at the time. From what we are seeing at the moment, from the case numbers, hospitalisations, the direction we are travelling at the moment, I am optimistic but I don’t want to say exactly what will happen in March.

“But I do want to see a time as soon as we can to remove all remaining rules and restrictions around Covid because we do have to learn to live with this virus in the same way we have learned to live, for example, with the flu.”

NHS chief warns virus hasn’t ‘magically disappeared’

10:29 , Chiara Giordano

Nursing and NHS leaders have warned scrapping Covid measures “will do nothing to relieve the pressure” on hospitals and the virus hasn’t “magically disappeared”.

The NHS is still battling extreme pressures such as high levels of staff sickness, record-length delays in emergency care and a growing backlog that has left six million on waiting lists.

Our health correspondent Rebecca Thomas has the full story:

Plan B rules are scrapped — but NHS chief warns virus hasn’t ‘magically disappeared’

NHS staff sickness drops 15%

10:38 , Chiara Giordano

There were 68,871 NHS staff at hospital trusts in England who were absent for all sickness reasons on January 16 including self-isolation, down 15% on the previous week (80,824) but still up 15% from the start of December (60,136), NHS England said.

NHS hospital staff absences fell week-on-week across all England's seven regions: down 19% in the North East and Yorkshire, and 16% across London, the North West and the South West.

Hospital trust staff absences fell by 12% in eastern England and the Midlands, and 8% in the South East.

Boris Johnson’s daughter Romy ‘badly’ hit with Covid at five weeks old

10:41 , Chiara Giordano

Boris Johnson’s six-week-old daughter was reportedly ‘badly hit’ by Covid-19.

Romy Iris Charlotte Johnson, daughter of the prime minister and wife Carrie Johnson, is now said to be ‘on the mend’ after contracting the virus at five-weeks-old.

My colleague Furvah Shah has more on this story:

Boris Johnson’s daughter Romy was ‘badly hit’ with Covid at five-weeks-old

Downing Street party revelations ‘damaging’ to Britain’s democracy, Javid admits

10:54 , Chiara Giordano

Health secretary Sajid Javid has admitted the disclosures over Downing Street parties during Covid lockdown have been "damaging" to Britain's democracy.

Mr Javid told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme anyone in Whitehall found to have broken the rules should be disciplined.

"If there were people at the heart of government who were not following the rules, absolutely they should be disciplined and I look forward to seeing that disciplinary action taking place," he said. "We do now know there were some parties. We know that because some of the people that were involved and broke the rules have come forward to say so.

"Of course things like this damage our democracy. From what we already know from the people who have come forward and apologised for the parties that took place, for example the one on the eve of Prince Philip's funeral, that was completely wrong. It was wrong in every single way. That is already damaging, of course it is.”

Scotland eases care home restrictions

11:10 , Chiara Giordano

Care home restrictions in Scotland have been eased, with self-isolation times reduced or removed.

Patients being transferred from hospital will no longer have to isolate for two weeks if they test negative for Covid-19 before arriving at the care home.

The isolation period for infected care home residents is also being cut from 14 days to 10, while the limit on the number of households able to visit has been lifted.

Under the changes, isolation requirements have been removed where residents are taken to hospital overnight for acute treatment, provided there is no clinical reason to suspect they may have coronavirus.

Tube journeys up 8% in London as commuters head back to the office

11:50 , Chiara Giordano

Railway and underground stations have been busy across London this morning as commuters head back to the office on this first day of work-from-home guidance being lifted.

Transport for London said about 1.09 million entries and exits were recorded on the Tube network up to 10am.

This is an increase of 8 per cent on the same period last week.

Some 1.19 million journeys on buses in the capital were made up to 10am, a per cent week-on-week increase.

Road congestion rises in London and Manchester as work-from-home guidance lifted

11:52 , Chiara Giordano

Figures published by location technology firm TomTom show the level of road congestion this morning at 8am in London and Manchester was higher than at the same time last week, but was relatively stable in several other major English cities.

In London, congestion levels increased from 66% on January 13 to 72% today.

In Manchester, congestion levels rose from 56% on January 13 to 63% today.

In Birmingham, congestion levels dropped from 57% on January 13 to 55% today.

In Leeds, congestion levels fell from 48% on January 13 to 44% today.

The figures represent the proportion of additional time required for journeys compared with free-flow conditions.

‘It makes sense to go back to the office,’ says sustainability worker

12:05 , Chiara Giordano

My colleague Thomas Kingsley has been out in London this morning speaking to commuters on the first day of work-from-home guidance lifting.

At Paddington station, 36-year-old Dora Martinez told him:

“I’m happy we can go back to the office, I really would like to go back to go back but my company is not willing to, I work in sustainability and most of our work requires talking to people and networking so for me it makes sense to go back to the office although I’m conscious that Covid is around.”

Working from the office is better because of the social element, says finance worker

12:20 , Chiara Giordano

Here’s more from Independent reporter Thomas Kingsley, who is out speaking to commuters in London:

Anders Strandh, 48, who works in finance, was looking forward to getting back to the office for the social aspect.

Stopping to chat in Paddington station, he said: “It’s better from the office; I like the social element.

“People are more open now to doing both though. I think if masks are not needed it’s good to not have them.”

Medical student says he ‘trusts in’ Sir Chris Whitty as people return to work

12:40 , Chiara Giordano

Here’s more from our reporter Thomas Kingsley, who’s out speaking to commuters in London:

Medical student Aneirin Potter, 24, said he was “very happy” people were returning to work and that he trusted in England’s chief medical officer Sir Chris Whitty.

“I’m very happy people are going back and restrictions are easing,” he said.

“I work in a hospital now but there was a point where we thought we weren’t going to go back and that there’d be a generation of medical students held back but we’re back and learning as normal.

“It’s hard to know if it’s a measure that should be easing at the moment - I think most doctors would struggle with that question but I trust in what Sir Chris Whitty and his team have to say.”

‘There’s a lot to be said for collaboration,’ says finance worker as workers head back to the office

13:00 , Chiara Giordano

A 29-year-old finance worker, who wished only to be identified as Henry B, said he was glad to be back in the office, where it’s easier to collaborate.

Speaking to our reporter Thomas Kingsley at London’s Paddington station, he said: “I’m quite pleased about it, I much prefer working from the office, there’s a lot to be said about collaboration.

“I don’t mind wearing a mask it doesn’t bother me. If it makes other people feel more comfortable that’s a good thing to do.

“I think there’s people a lot smarter than me making decisions, they’ve got data to back it up.

“I make calculated decisions, I justify it, write a paper show the risks. I’m not an anti-vaxxer.

“If there’s medication out there dealing with it, that’s the most important thing.”

Switzerland to drop pre-travel test from this weekend

13:20 , Chiara Giordano

Switzerland is set to drop its requirement for a pre-travel PCR test this Saturday, 22 January - but only for fully vaccinated visitors.

Those who can prove recent recovery from Covid may also visit without a pre-travel test.

Our deputy travel editor Lucy Thackray has more on this:

Switzerland to drop pre-travel test from Saturday

Fire safety consultant thinks workers should stay home until hospital admissions decline further - and to help the environment

13:40 , Chiara Giordano

Andy Plester, a fire safety consultant, said he believed people should continue to work from home until hospital admissions decline further - and because it benefits the environment.

The 54-year-old told our reporter Thomas Kingsley in London: “I’d like to see hospital admissions go down a bit more before people go back to the office. I’ve been in offices up and down the country for fire assessments and they’re still empty. I’ve five people in 500-person offices.

“In terms of masks, I think it would have been good to enforce that a little bit longer, even a month. I’m still going to wear it on the tube and in shops. We’re so close to each other.

“I think we should be looking to work from home at least one week out of the month, people have shown they can do it and it’s good for the environment.”

Austria to drop extra travel requirements for Brits

14:00 , Chiara Giordano

Austria will scrap its “virus variant list” - which currently subjects Britons to extra travel restrictions - from Monday 24 January, the tourist board has announced.

The UK has been on the list since 25 December, along with countries including Denmark and the Netherlands.

Our deputy travel editor Lucy Thackray has more details:

Austria to drop extra travel requirements for Brits from Monday

Downing Street ‘offered to ease Covid rules for Prince Philip’s funeral but Queen declined’

14:32 , Chiara Giordano

Downing Street offered to ease coronavirus restrictions for Prince Philip’s funeral, it has been reported.

The Queen is said to have refused because it would be unfair for her to have special treatment when others were also grieving for their loved ones in lockdown.

My colleague Holly Bancroft has the full story:

Downing Street ‘offered to ease Covid rules for Prince Philip’s funeral’

Government looking ‘absolutely ruthlessly’ at Covid backlogs, says PM

14:54 , Chiara Giordano

Boris Johnson said he was focused on clearing the Covid backlogs when asked if he would fight any leadership challenge.

Speaking to broadcasters on a visit to Rutherford Diagnostic Centre in Taunton, the prime minister avoided the question and said: "I am focused on what I think is the number one issue for British people and it is clearing the Covid backlogs, but also looking at what we can do with new techniques."

He said diagnostics were part of the delay and that more cash was being put in to take the pressure off hospitals.

He added that the government was looking "absolutely ruthlessly" at waiting lists.

Return of office workers ‘much needed boost’ for hospitality, says pub boss

14:55 , Chiara Giordano

The boss of City Pub Group has said the return of office workers "will be a much needed boost" to the hospitality sector as he also warned cost increases will lead to higher prices for customers.

Clive Watson, chief executive of the pub group, told PA it had been "coming through the worst of it" in recent weeks after December trade was hit hard by the spread of the Omicron variant of Covid-19.

The company, which runs around 50 pubs, predominantly in London and the south of England, said December "began well" but eventually saw trade at 85 per cent of pre-pandemic levels after "most office party bookings were cancelled".

However, it added that strong sales in October and November offset the impact of the weaker performance last month.

The group said that January saw a slow month following Omicron caution but highlighted a "significant increase in trade" over the past 10 days.

Scotland records further 27 Covid deaths and 8,262 cases

15:30 , Chiara Giordano

Scotland has recorded 27 coronavirus deaths and 8,262 new cases in the last 24 hours, according to latest figures.

It means the death toll under this measurement, of people who tested positive for the virus in the previous 28 days, has risen to 10,149.

There were 1,514 people in hospital on Wednesday with recently confirmed Covid-19, down 57 on the previous day, with 43 in intensive care, down one on the day before.

So far 4,402,666 people have received their first dose of a Covid-19 vaccination, 4,094,680 have received a second dose, and 3,230,767 have received a third dose or booster

‘It’s confusing’: Londoners divided about easing of plan B rules as they return to offices

15:33 , Chiara Giordano

Londoners have been left divided following the easing of Covid measures which has ended work from home guidance and will bring an end to mandatory face masks in shops and on public transport.

As many workers returned to the office this morning, some were still “confused” by the easing of the guidelines amid concerning hospital admission numbers and Covid-related deaths.

Thomas Kingsley has more reaction here:

Londoners divided about easing of plan B as they return to office after Omicron wave

Northern Ireland relaxes string of Covid restrictions

15:48 , Chiara Giordano

The Northern Ireland Executive has agreed a series of relaxations to Covid-19 restrictions.

From Friday, the requirement to remain seated and the limit of six per table at hospitality venues will be removed.

The cap on the number of households meeting inside domestic settings will be removed from the same date.

The requirement to provide proof of exemption from wearing face coverings will also be removed from Friday, and the guidance on working from home will revert to working from home where you can.

‘Game-changing’ X-ray technology can diagnose Covid within minutes

16:00 , Chiara Giordano

Scientists could begin using X-rays instead of standard PCR tests to diagnose Covid-19, after a team developed groundbreaking technology capable of detecting the virus in minutes.

The research, conducted by a team at the University of the West of Scotland (UWS), sees a specially-designed Artificial Intelligence (AI) algorithm compare a patient’s X-ray scans with up to 3,000 images belonging to those suffering with Covid, healthy individuals and patients with viral pneumonia.

My colleague Sam Hancock explains more here:

‘Game-changing’ X-ray technology can diagnose Covid within minutes

16:16 , Chiara Giordano

That’s the end of our live coverage for today. Join us again tomorrow morning for more updates.