In a move condemned by scientists and despite a surge in cases, the British government has officially lifted all pandemic restrictions in England. This includes mask wearing and social distancing, with nightclubs also able to reopen for the first time since the UK went into lockdown in March of last year. The move was not met positively by scientists who warn that the move will push the surging pandemic further and risk creating more dangerous and easily transmissible variants. 

Prime Minister Boris Johnson, currently in isolation following the health minister’s positive testing, urged people to remain cautious. The government is relying heavily on the vaccine rollout curbing the spread as infections continue to spike. This move could either inspire other countries with high vaccination rates to do the same if successful or risk variants resistant to vaccines emerging. Leading international scientists labelled England’s so-called ‘Freedom Day’ as a global threat. The population seems locked between craving the need to dance in clubs and an uncertain sense of doom. 

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Photo Source: CNN, Anna Shvets