When will working from home end? Date Covid Plan B rules finish in January 2022 - Boris Johnson PMQs update

As the UK look towards living with Covid, many people will be hoping to get back into the office after working from home
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Plan B restrictions have meant a return to many Covid rules from face coverings to social distancing.

One of the rules which was reintroduced to help curb the surging Omicron cases was a return to working from home for most of the UK.

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With some Covid restrictions beginning to be rolled back in certain parts of the country, and mentions of ‘living with Covid’ going forward, many will be wondering if working from home will also be scrapped soon.

Here’s everything you need to know about working from home.

Should I be working from home?

Advice across the UK states that if you are able to, you should be currently working from home.

This applies mainly to office staff and does not apply to those who can only work in person, including retail and hospitality staff and health and social care staff.

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Those in England were asked to work from home after Plan B restrictions were introduced at the start of November as Omicron cases began surging in the country.

Those in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland were also told to follow this advice to cut down on social mixing within the office.

Will the rule for working from home end?

Many may have become comfortable working from home but employers will be looking to get employees back into the office.

Prime minister Boris Johnson confirmed at PMQs on 19 January that the working from home order will expire on 26 January 2022.

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It means that workers can return to the office from 27 January 2022 if agreed with employer.

When will Plan B restrictions be lifted?

Boris Johnson’s last Plan B update confirmed that restrictions were set to continue in England until at least 26 January.

He said: “All of these measures are helping to take the edge off the Omicron wave, slow the spread of infection, manage the immediate pressures on our NHS and buy time for the boosters to take effect.

“And those in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland should, of course, continue to follow the rules where they live.”

When is the next Plan B Covid update?

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Mr Johnson has confirmed that the next review of the restrictions will be on 26 January, marking a three week gap since the last review.

If ministers feel that data supports the rolling back of rules, Plan B could be scrapped from any time after this.

The rules are due to expire on 26 January, however if minister feel that the data does not support this, this expiry date can be extended.

What are the other Plan B rules?

Those in England are expected to follow current Plan B guidelines.

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This includes the return of face coverings in more venues, the use of Covid Pass to show vaccination status to enter certain venues such as stadiums and nightclubs, alongside working from home.

The Prime Minister said: “People in England should carry on working from home whenever they can, wear face coverings on public transport and in most indoor public places, and take a test before going to high risk venues or meeting the elderly or vulnerable.”

Despite Plan B restrictions continuing, there have been a roll back of some Covid measures.

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Confirmationary PCR tests have also been scrapped for those who are asymptomatic and have had a positive lateral flow test.

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