The United Kingdom without health restrictions despite a galloping epidemic?
It's finish !
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced on Saturday a series of measures aimed at curbing the Covid-19 epidemic and preventing the spread of the Omicron variant.
They target travelers, with compulsory isolation until they have the results of the PCR test, but also all Britons, by reinstating the wearing of masks in public places.
"We are not going to prevent people from traveling but people who come to the United Kingdom must do a PCR test on the second day and must isolate themselves while awaiting the negative result", announced Boris Johnson.
All passengers from all countries, including France, are concerned.
Until now, only an antigen test or a self-test was requested two days after the arrival of the travelers, and no isolation was required until the results.
Return of the mask
This change comes as British health authorities confirmed on Saturday that they had identified in the United Kingdom "two cases of Covid-19 comprising mutations compatible with B.1.1.529". The two cases are "linked (to each other) and to a trip to southern Africa," said the statement from the Ministry of Health, published earlier in the day. One of them was detected in the city of Nottingham (central England) and the other in Chelmsford (east of London), said health authorities.
In order to "strengthen our protection against this variant", Boris Johnson has also announced the return of the compulsory mask in stores, where they were no longer compulsory unlike public transport.
The recall campaign will be "intensified", he added, although "we do not yet know how effective the vaccine against the Omicron variant will be."
Health authorities will reduce the time needed between the second and third dose, as well as expand the eligible groups as much as possible, he said.