Omicron: Wearing of masks in public places is mandatory in UK, 14 cases found so far

London. After three new cases were reported in Scotland, the number of cases related to the novel coronavirus in the UK has now increased to 14 and due to the concern created by this, wearing masks in public places in the country was made mandatory from Tuesday. Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that the measures going to take effect from today are right and through them there will be time for preparations to deal with the new format.

He said, “Based on what we know, our vaccines and boosters remain our best line of defense, so it’s more important than ever that people get a booster dose when it comes to numbers. Come forward. Today’s steps will not only slow down the spread of the new form, but they will also help us protect each other.”

Under the measures that came into force from Tuesday, people will have to compulsorily wear masks in shops, banks, post offices, public transport and other public places till any exemption is given and it will be a legal requirement. As part of the steps, all international passengers will have to undergo a PCR test by the end of the second day after arrival and will have to self-isolate till the negative report comes.

In addition, all people in contact with suspected cases of ‘Omicron’ will have to self-isolate, regardless of their age or vaccination status. These people will be contacted by the Department of National Health Service’s (NHS) testing and discovery system.

Downing Street said the measures were temporary and precautionary and would be reviewed in three weeks.

On Monday, the Joint Committee on Immunization recommended expanding the booster dose program to all people aged 18-39 and reducing the gap between the second dose and the booster dose to three months. All individuals 12 to 15 years of age are now advised to take a second dose of Pfizer/BioNTech’s anti-COVID, 12 weeks after the first dose.

Individuals with severely weakened immunity who have taken the three primary doses are now recommended for a fourth booster dose. ‘Omicron’ was first identified in South Africa, after which the UK added South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho, Eswatini, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia and Angola to its list of travel restrictions.