A new Covid-19 subvariant, XBB.1.5, has revived concern about the spread of the virus in the UK this January.
A relative of Omicron, XBB.1.5 was first detected in the state of New York in October 2022 and already accounts for more than 40 per cent of American cases.
The variant has since been detected in the UK and is thought to constitute at least 4 per cent of Covid viruses being sequenced.
There is some uncertainty around the current reach of the new subvariant in the UK, however, since only the genetics of a small pool of Covid samples are now analysed.
With the crisis-stricken NHS already under severe pressure from a number of winter illnesses, the public are being urged to get back into the habit of wearing face masks in public and staying at home if they feel unwell, although the government insisted the advice was “pretty longstanding” and not mandatory, as it has not been since July 2021.
There are currently no restrictions in place to fend against the virus, with the government recommending only that people stay at home if they are ill and get vaccinated when called, reminding them that they can still buy lateral flow tests in pharmacies but that they are no longer free.
This has been the state of play ever since former prime minister Boris Johnson ended his “Plan B” social restrictions for dealing with the Omicron variant of the coronavirus in England on 24 February 2022, a move that he hoped would draw a line under the lockdown era once and for all.
Trailing the decision in the House of Commons a year ago this month, Mr Johnson said that working from home orders, guidance on mask-wearing in public places and presenting NHS Covid passes to enter crowded venues would all to be scrapped as the New Year 2022 rise in infections waned without resulting in the wave of mass hospitalisations feared by experts.
His final revision to the rules also meant that those who tested positive for were no longer legally required to self-isolate, scrapping a previous requirement that the unwell quarantine for at least five days and only emerge after testing negative twice thereafter.
Before that pivot to the goverment’s more pragmatic “Living with Covid” policy, placing responsibility with individuals rather than the state, then-health secretary Sajid Javid had already cut the self-isolation period from seven days to five.
Last February’s changes to the law also marked the end of £500 per month self-isolation support payments for people on low incomes and routine contact tracing, meaning that employees no longer had to notify their bosses that they must go into quarantine and that their close contacts were no longer required to undertake daily testing.
Life has largely returned to normal since then, with the national focus switched to the war in Ukraine, the cost of living crisis, the death of Queen Elizabeth II and a period of blockbuster political turmoil in Westminster that led to the defenestration of first Mr Johnson and then Liz Truss before Rishi Sunak finally restored a degree of order.
However, it is by no means impossible that new measures could eventually become necessary once again to rein in transmission should the new subvariant pose a serious threat.
This might involve a return to masks and isolation or the rollout of a second round of modified vaccine booster jabs.
For now though, the current NHS advice is that, if you believe you have symptoms associated with Covid, you should to take a lateral flow test and isolate at home if you test positive to avoid passing it on to others, although, again, this is not a legal requirement.
You should keep away from anyone likely to be particularly vulnerable because of their age or a pre-existing condition and, if you do have to go out in public when you are unwell, you are encouraged to mask up, avoid crowded indoor spaces and wash your hands for at least 20 seconds.
If you are concerned about your symptoms or believe they are getting worse, you are advised to visit 111.nhs.uk, call 111 or call your local GP surgery.
