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Working from home measures were stopped on January 19 after being in place for just over a month (December 13).

It was part of wider Plan B measures to stem the transmission of the Omicron variant of Covid-19.

As part of the wider measures, face masks are still mandatory in shops and public transport and vaccine status 'passports' are needed to enter some large venues.

However, testing measures for overseas travellers have been relaxed, with fully vaccinated passengers no longer needing to take a pre-departure test or self-isolate on return.

Asympomatic people who get a positive Covid test from a lateral flow no longer need to do a follow-up PCR before starting their isolation period.

And the isolation period for those who test positive has been cut to five days from seven.

When can we go back to work?

The current Plan B measures in England are set to .

Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed at PMQs on Wednesday, January 19 that the working from home directive would come to an end.

Mandatory mask wearing and vaccine 'passports' for large events will also come to an end.

This is the timetable:

Immediately, from January 19: Guidance to work from home where possible has been lifted, in a move which could benefit businesses in town and city centres.

From January 20: Face coverings will no longer be advised for staff and pupils in classrooms.

From January 27: The Department for Education will remove national guidance on the use of face coverings in communal areas of schools. Masks could still be required where there are outbreaks, but only if Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi approves a request.

Nightclubs and other venues will no longer require a Covid pass for entry, although some may continue asking for one on a voluntary basis.

Face coverings will no longer be required by law in any settings, although guidance will suggest masks should still be considered in enclosed and crowded spaces.

March 24: The legal requirement to self-isolate if you have Covid-19 is expected to expire. The Prime Minister hopes to bring the date forward if the data allows.

Is it safe to go back to work?

The Health Secretary Sajid Javid told MPs on Tuesday it was likely “we have already reached the peak of the case numbers of hospitalisations” as ministers prepared to review Plan B measures.

He echoed Nadhim Zahawi, the Education Secretary, who told BBC Breakfast: “If you look at infection rates, they remain high, hospitalisations is still high, touching 20,000 people in hospital, but it feels like they’re plateauing.

“The good news is the number of people in ICU has been coming down, certainly in London, which was the epicentre, the level of staff absence in education has remained pretty flat, it was 8% before Christmas, it’s at about 8.5% at the moment.

“So I’m confident that when we review this on the 26th of January, as we said we would do, then we’ll be in a much better place to lift some of these restrictions.

“But it’s worth remembering that because we stuck to Plan B this economy is the most open economy in Europe.”

Dr David Nabarro, a World Health Organisation (WHO) special envoy for Covid-19, told Sky News there was “light at the end of the tunnel” for the ������Ƶ in tackling Covid-1 but there is still a need to be 'respectful' of the virus.

He said: “Looking at it from a ������Ƶ point of view, there does appear to be light at the end of the tunnel… I think that it’s going to be bumpy before we get to the end.

“So even though it’s possible to start imagining that the end of the pandemic is not far away, just everybody be ready for the possibility that there will be more variations and mutations coming along, or that there will be further challenges, other surges of even Omicron coming.”

He said children do not get very ill from Covid-19, and “we’re going to have children acting as vectors of the virus for some time to come.”

He said there was a need to still be “respectful of this virus”, adding: “Do what you can to stop transmitting it. Do what you can to protect others from being affected by it. It’s not the common cold.

“I know people would like it to be but it’s a virus that has still some really unpleasant features. Let’s do our best to protect people from it if we possibly can.”

READ MORE: Follow our Covid-19 news here

What are the current rules about Working from Home?

The Plan B states that anyone who cannot work from home should continue to go into work and they should consider taking lateral flow tests regularly to manage their own risk and the risk to others.

Though the Working from Home advice has come to an end, employers still need to consider whether home working is appropriate for workers facing mental or physical health difficulties, or those with a particularly challenging home working environment.

Employers also have an obligation to keep workers safe by considering social distancing, minimising visitors, good ventilation, one way systems and additional cleaning measures.

There are no legal limits on contact between people from different households including in the workplace. There is no government requirement or recommendation for employers to limit capacity in the workplace.

There are for some industries - including construction, hospitality and manufacturing with more details for employers in , , and .

What else has changed?

Boris Johnson confirmed to the Commons on Wednesday, January 19 that the legal requirement on people with coronavirus to self-isolate will be allowed to lapse when the regulations expire on March 24, and that date could be brought forward.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid has confirmed that as from Monday, January 17, the amount of time people with Covid-19 in England have to spend in self-isolation is to be cut to five full days.

Sajid Javid said in the House of Commons that data from the ������Ƶ Health Security Agency (������ƵHSA) showed “that around two-thirds of positive cases are no longer infectious by the end of day five”.

That means that from Monday people will be able to take two tests to get out of isolation, “leaving isolation at the start of day six”.

The move comes as businesses are facing a save of cancellations from consumers as well as shortages of staff as workers isolate to prevent the spread of Covid-19. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) earlier said that around 3% of the entire ������Ƶ workforce was off sick or in self-isolation in late December due to catching Covid-19.

The Government had been been under pressure to bring the situation in England into line with the United States, where the isolation period was earlier cut to five days.