England's Plan B measures are to end from next Thursday (27 January 2022), with mandatory face coverings in public places and Covid passports both dropped, the Prime Minister has announced.

In his statement, the Prime Minister said: "The Cabinet concluded that because of the extraordinary booster campaign together with the way the public have responded to the Plan B measures - we can return to Plan A in England and allow Plan B regulations to expire.

"As a result, from the start of Thursday next week mandatory certification will end.

"Organisations can, of course, choose to use the NHS Covid Pass voluntarily but we will end the compulsory use of Covid status certification in England.

"From now, the government is no longer asking people to work from home and people should now speak to their employers about arrangements for returning to the office.

"And having looked at the data carefully, the Cabinet concluded that once regulations lapse, the government will no longer mandate the wearing of face masks anywhere.

On the longer term strategy, the Prime Minister said:

"As Covid becomes endemic we will need to replace legal requirements with advice and guidance urging people with the virus to be careful and considerate of others.

"The self-isolation regulations expire on 24th March, at which point I very much expect not to renew them.

In advance of that, we will set out our long-term strategy for living with Covid-19, explaining how we hope and intend to protect our liberty and avoid restrictions in future by relying instead on medical advances – especially the vaccines which have already saved so many lives."