Once again, England moves ahead of most others in Europe in its pace to return to normal life. Announcing that it was time to live with the coronavirus, Prime Minister Boris Johnson declared an end to legal restrictions and most free testing. After nearly two years of restrictions, Johnson finally seeks to return his country to what it was before, although he has not stated that the health crisis is officially over.

Restrictions in England have been lifted before in 2020, when Johnson was infected by the virus, but they were in effect again with the emergence of the Omicron variant. This time, however, individuals will no longer be subject to contact tracing and those who test positive will not be required to self-isolate.

As of April 1, the widely available supply of free tests will no longer be accessible by the public except for the most vulnerable, and those who wish to be tested will need to pay. Around the same time, enhanced sick pay to coronavirus patients will also come to an end.

The new plan relies on people’s “sense of responsibility toward one another,” Johnson said, claiming that people can be considerate to others without the government’s policies.

Opponents have argued that the lift in restrictions comes too soon, and that the number of cases continues to be a health risk. Others also claim that the new measures are a way for Johnson to draw attention away from an investigation into Johnson about whether he broke coronavirus laws.

The news also comes a day after Queen Elizabeth II tested positive for the virus. Johnson spoke to Parliament that the Queen’s illness served as a reminder that the virus still exists. However, he stated that the peak of the Omicron wave has passed, and that he was setting out a strategy for living with the virus.

Whether or not other countries will follow England’s new plan is not certain. But what is clear is that a lift of restrictions will be met by a mix of reactions. Will an end to restrictions be successful? What will ‘living with Covid’ look like? As the world watches Johnson’s attempt to return to normalcy, 2022 may just be the year when the state of the world changes.