In his editorial for this Thursday, January 20, Paul Sugy, journalist at Le Figaro, discusses the gradual lifting of health restrictions in many countries, with the exception of France.
It was expected, the British Prime Minister confirmed it yesterday: the health restrictions put in place to stem the Omicron wave in the country will be gradually lifted, starting with the wearing of masks and teleworking which will no longer be compulsory from next Thursday, just as the health pass will no longer be required at the entrance to pubs and nightclubs.
Finally, the isolation of positive cases will probably no longer be required after March 24, the date on which the current protocol will expire: Boris Johnson is even considering speeding up the timing there too.
A measure to calm the majority in the face of scandals?
This is certainly one of the contextual elements that explains this decision, especially since health measures were not favored by the conservative majority. But the main determinant remains the health situation in the United Kingdom: – 40% of the weekly number of cases and a notable stabilization in the number of patients in hospital. As for people hospitalized in intensive care, already few in number since the start of the Omicron wave, their number is also decreasing.
In addition Boris Johnson is only following in the footsteps of Wales, and Scotland has also announced the gradual disappearance of the measures.
Moreover, even if it were only a crude political maneuver, one is tempted to envy a country so jealous of its freedoms that a leader mired in scandals has the first reflex to let people breathe to calm the popular scold…
The Netherlands, Norway, Canada, Israel, Spain… They all have in common that they also relax the rules, decided in haste before the holidays. Olivier Véran said to French deputies 15 days ago that when you compare yourself, you console yourself: the argument has fizzled.