London has abolished the tube mask rule as part of “living with the virus”. Is the UK ready?

The British government tells peopleLiving with a virus.. ” detail schedule Earlier this week, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said it was time to stop limiting “freedom of the British people.”

There have been several grand renewals in the UK over the last two years, but this is the first time that all curbs have disappeared. This “Covid Freedom Day” is arguably another “Covid Freedom Day,” as some British media call it.Free day“Many of the remaining restrictions have been lifted in the last few months.

The pandemic isn’t over yet, according to Johnson, but the UK is now able to deal with the virus “in a completely different way, from government regulation to personal responsibility.”

He said the coronavirus would now be treated like a seasonal flu.

Other countries in the UK (Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland) are taking a more cautious approach.

At Waterloo Station in London, one of the busiest transportation hubs in the country, many people voluntarily wore masks on Thursday. Other fines It is related to a rule violation. The sign at the entrance to the busy but unpopular Waterloo thanked the people who wore the mask “preferably as a courtesy to others.”

Since the government abolished the “work from home” guidance at the end of January, the number of people using London buses and “tubes” has increased. However, the numbers are still well below pre-pandemic levels, with subway passengers at around 60% and bus utilization at around 75% in early 2020.

Many commuters on Thursday wondered why the UK government is now removing all restrictions.

Anna Marriott, 43, who works for a charity, said: I think they are vigilant when there may be more varieties on the horizon, and when many parts of the world have not yet reached high vaccination levels.

“I think what’s happening now is political, not scientific. He wants to declare some victory in this to distract from multiple failures,” she said. Said referring to Johnson.

“It’s very toryline to claim” personal responsibility, “” said Alistair Allen, 26, a programmer in a blue mask. If you are at risk, it is someone else who is at risk now, and the idea of ​​”personal responsibility” does not explain it. “

He added that lifting all restrictions is “difficult to read because Boris Johnson is doing what people want, and he isn’t very popular right now.”

Johnson’s personal popularity has plummeted after allegations that Downing Street and other government officials had a party during the blockade.London Metropolitan Police Department is investigating 12 gatherings For possible criminal offenses, visit Downing Street and Whitehall.

Other commuters agreed that it was time to lift all restrictions after a very long two years.

“It’s a personal responsibility,” said John Land, the event organizer in his 60s. For him, that meant pushing a handful of masks into his jacket pocket on his way out of the door. He said he was planning to keep wearing masks on the train and he expected people to probably get a continuous booster jab. “That’s our way of life,” he said.

Health worker Eugene Emerue, 46, was one of the majority of commuters who did not choose a mask. He said he felt protected by receiving three vaccinations and agreed that it was time to lift all restrictions.

“How long can you lock the door? If we don’t die from the virus, we die from hunger and a bad economy: which one do we choose? That’s the best option,” he said. He added that it may take some time to understand the new standard.

“Over time, we’ll understand how to live with it. It may not be easy at this point,” he said.

Barista Taylor Letke, 29, in a black mask, said the situation has changed dramatically over the past two years and people thought they were “ready to live with the virus.”

He said he was wearing a mask at work and in transit as a courtesy to others, but agreed that it was time to lift the restrictions.

“People are fed up with restrictions, so I’m willing to accept other options. If that means catching the progress of the virus, I’m sure people will be happy to do it. It’s been a very long two years, “he said.

“Initially, I was afraid to catch the virus, but now I think it’s inevitable. That’s a big change,” Retke said. “Anecdotal evidence is terrible evidence, but it’s one of the types of evidence we’re most concerned with. Initially, no one knew who had covid, so there was no anecdotal evidence. So we All he had was statistics, and the statistics were horrifying. “

But now he said, “60-70% of my friends have Covid and, anecdotally, it doesn’t seem to be that much of a threat … it makes me more comfortable.”