Guidance to work from home, and the requirement to wear a face covering in classrooms has ended in England today.
For the first time since Plan B measures were were introduced in England back in mid December 2021 in a bid to curb the spread of the Omicron variant, staff across the country who were able to work from home have now been told they can return to office settings “from now on”, and schoolchildren and teachers will no longer need to wear face coverings in classrooms.
The immediate lifting of these measures was announced by Prime Minister Boris Johnson to MPs in the House of Commons yesterday, and confirmed by Health Secretary Sajid Javid in a later Downing Street news conference.
While an end to the guidance to work from home was said to be expected immediately following reports, the Department for Education’s decision to, as the PM stated, “remove national guidance on their use in communal areas,” did however come as a surprise to many.
The Prime Minister also crucially announced in his statement to MPs yesterday that all Plan B restrictions in England would be lifted on 27 January, and that the legal requirement for people with COVID-19 to self-isolate would be allowed to lapse when those regulations expired on 24 March, but that date could be brought forward.
Plan B measures will be removed following the success of the booster programme.
From now: ▶️ people are no longer advised to work from home
— Department of Health and Social Care (@DHSCgovuk) January 19, 2022
This means that from next Thursday (27 January), the wearing of face masks on public transport, in supermarket and retail settings, in communal areas of schools, and “most public indoor venues” will not be required.
You’ll also no longer need to show your NHS COVID Pass at venues and events by law.
While the government says it is still recommending they are worn in “crowded and indoor spaces where you may come into contact with people you do not normally meet”, Mr Johnson said it’s time to “trust the judgment” of the British public when it comes to face masks.
He told MPs yesterday: “In the country at large, we will continue to suggest the use of face coverings in enclosed or crowded spaces, particularly when you come into contact with people you don’t normally meet, but we will trust the judgment of the British people and no longer criminalise anyone who chooses not to wear one.”
The wearing of face masks will no longer be mandatory starting in schools from tomorrow
He also said in his statement that we can expect restrictions on visits to care homes to be eased shortly too, with Health Secretary Sajid Javid said to be setting out plans “in the coming days”.
The Prime Minister said the decision to legally lift all Plan B restrictions on 27 January comes after Omicron cases were seen to be falling across the UK, and on the basis that he believes the wave had likely peaked nationally.
According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the highest number of new cases reported on a single day during the current wave was 218,724 on 4 January, but the body said COVID infection levels have now fallen in most parts of the UK for the first time since early December, and official figures showed that only 108,069 positive cases of COVID-19 and 359 COVID-related deaths were recorded in the latest 24-hour period as of 9am on Wednesday, which suggests that the peak may have passed.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson urges caution over the Omicron variant as he announces self-isolation rules for those who test positive for #COVID19 will expire on March 24.
Mr Johnson suggested he would start treating COVID more like the flu, saying: “There will soon come a time when we can remove the legal requirement to self-isolate altogether, just as we don’t place legal obligations on people to isolate if they have flu.
“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.”
He said the government would set out its long-term strategy for “living with COVID”.
While the decision to lift Plan B restrictions may have please a number of the Prime Minister’s Tory backbenchers amid the ongoing ‘partygate’ scandal and growing pressures for him to resign, a number of senior medics, however, have criticised the decision and said it’s “not guided by data”.
Dr Chaand Nagpaul – Chair of the British Medical Association (BMA) Council – said scrapping the measures at such a fast pace “risks creating a false sense of security” while the NHS is still under crippling pressure
Matthew Taylor – Chief Executive of the NHS Confederation representing health bodies – also cautioned that now “is not the time for complacency about this virus”.
Featured Image – Flickr | Unsplash
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Manchester City supporters groups call on club and fellow fans to ‘make their voices heard’
Danny Jones
A collection of Manchester City supporters groups has urged both the club and the fans themselves to “make [their] voice heard” this season, following this year’s protests over the new and “drastic” ticketing policy.
Man City fans gathered both before and after the game against Wolves back in April to make their feeling known regarding season ticket changes.
Appealing to manager Pep Guardiola directly, insisting that he needs their energy to get the kind of “alive” crowds he’s also called for in the past, ‘The 1984’ has now been joined by four other supporters trusts in reaffirming their aims for the new campaign.
Sharing a new joint statement on social media, the five fan groups say that “last season saw unprecedented off-pitch unrest among City fans in the post-Maine Road era”, and the only way to avoid further disruption is to listen and heed their warnings.
STATEMENT FROM CITY FAN GROUPS AS WE ENTER THE NEW SEASON
After last season's protests, 2025/26 sees the most drastic changes to season tickets we've ever had. We ask supporters to use their voices & the club to put fans first going forward.
— MCFC Fans Foodbank Support (@MCFCfoodbank) August 21, 2025
Writing on behalf of the aforementioned 1894 group, Canal Street Blues, MCFC Fans Foodbank Support, Solid Citizens, Trade Union Blues and nearly 700 official members, as you can see, they penned a lengthy open letter to the club and the City Football Group (CFG).
“Despite recent success on the field,” they say, “two major in-stadium protests took place, with an estimated 16,000+ fans delaying their entry at the Leicester and Wolves games, and thousands more joining silent protests.
“The triggers were rising ticket prices, season ticket availability, poor supporter engagement (including the Club refusing to meet City Matters on ticket prices for months), and away fans in home sections – often linked to third-party resellers like Viagogo, whose new partnership with the Club proved the breaking point.”
They also conceded that the freeze in the cost of a full season ticket and reduced matchday prices were a welcome breath of fresh air and stirred hope for better fan engagement moving forward.
However, as the statement continues, “Unfortunately, the Club has instead introduced sweeping changes to season ticket terms and conditions, hitting some of our most loyal supporters and damaging long-standing fan culture.”
You can see all of the new and almost universally opposed ticket changes listed in full via bullet points above, but standouts include an unprecedented ’10-game personal attendance policy’ – the first of its kind in English football – stricter ticket transfer rules, and even new facial recognition scanners.
We completely agree. No warning in the middle of summer, communicated by one email on the same day that it was announced? Horrendous.
— MCFC Fans Foodbank Support (@MCFCfoodbank) August 21, 2025
Fan reaction online has been as you would expect; most City supporters are in almost overwhelming agreement with the concerns raised in the latest communication, particularly in the minimum attendance and transfer rules, adding: “the latter directly undermines the stated aim of ‘keeping the stadium full.'”
“There are also fears some of these rules won’t apply equally to hospitality season ticket holders, introducing worries of inequality between fans,” the statement continues.
“These changes create unnecessary workload for ticket office staff, introduce barriers for digitally excluded fans, force some into paid memberships, and erode supporter culture.
“All [the] while, City Matters, our elected Fan Advisory Board, has repeatedly faced delays and broken deadlines for meeting minutes, with the most recent minutes now 59 days overdue from the June meeting. No one wants constant conflict with the Club, but when official channels fail, protest becomes the only option. Last season proved that fan action can drive change.”
“We call on all Blues to:
Track and record if and how these changes affect you.
Make your voice heard – online, via City Matters, and through fan groups.
Join fan groups such as 1894, the Disabled Supporters Association, Canal Street Blues, Trade Union Blues, and your local OSC branch to discuss issues with fellow Blues.”
Lastly, they have called on the club to rethink their current policies surrounding personal attendance and ticket transfers, “take a ‘fans first’ approach when it comes to all future policies affecting supporters, engaging in meaningful consultation with fan representatives,” and publish fan meetings “on time.”
What do you make of the supporter groups’ statement and, more importantly, how do you feel about recent changes to season tickets and matchday admission, City fans?
Manchester’s newest bowling venue Wynwood Lanes is giving away 100 FREE sessions on opening week
Emily Sergeant
An exciting new bowling venue is opening in Manchester this week, and they’re giving away 100 free bowling sessions to celebrate.
Manchester get ready, as Wynwood Lanes is taking over the legendary Dog Bowl site and giving it a full Miami makeover.
Think five upgraded bowling lanes, pool tables, basketball hoops, sun drenched tunes, poolside cocktails, smoke machines, and a brunch menu from Kong’s NQ that’ll have you salivating before you’ve even sat down.
Wynwood Lanes will be running on a ‘unique’ day-mode and night-mode model.
This means that by day, guests can expect fresh brunch dishes and low-fi tunes, with children welcome until 7pm, and then when it’s in night mode, the Miami heat is turned up with party beats, celebratory smoke machines, late night snacks, and bar games.
Manchester’s newest bowling venue Wynwood Lanes is giving away 100 free sessions on its opening week / Credit: PICRYL | Supplied
As mentioned, fuel for the fun comes from Manchester legends Kong’s NQ, but this time with a Miami twist, so expect Cuban sandwiches, lime chicken avo arepas, tacos galore, and Miami-style brunch plates.
A boozy bottomless brunch will also take every Saturday and Sunday from next Saturday 30 August, with 90 minutes of Miami plates and free-flowing cocktails from £39.50 per person – with the option to upgrade to bowling for just a tenner
With the grand opening date just days away now, Wynwood Lanes wants to start things off with a bang… or you know, a strike.
In a bid to do this, they’ll be giving away free bowling sessions to the first 100 people through the doors on bank holiday Monday (25 August) from midday through to 11pm – with up to six players allowed per group.
Wynwood Lanes is open from 4pm tomorrow (Friday 22 August).
Bowling prices will start at £9 (or totally free if you’re one of the first 100 to book for opening weekend), so follow this link to grab access to bowling booking slots when they’re released, and secure your lane before they’re gone.
The Manc -
20th January 2022 
