Boris Johnson has said the country will be sticking with 'Plan B' restrictions over the next few weeks.
Speaking this week, the Prime Minister confirmed no changes would be coming, with the current measures that include wider use of face masks and guidance to work from home remaining throughout January.
The restrictions are set to be reviewed one last time before they expire completely towards the end of this month.
After the uncertainty of restrictions over Christmas and New Year, thousands of key workers having to isolate, and lateral flow and PCR tests running out online and at pharmacies, the Manchester Evening News spoke to people in the city centre to get their view at the start of the new year.
READ MORE: Will Plan B Covid measures be reviewed again - and when do they expire completely?
While most say that Covid has by no means gone away, caution is still urged.
“We’re still being sensible, but you’ve still got to live life,” said Will Cotmorie in St Ann’s Square.
“We’re both fully vaccinated and had our boosters so as long as your wearing a mask in shops it should be safe,” his partner Mary added. “We’re not unduly concerned.”
Asked if the messaging about the pandemic and current restrictions were clear enough, Will said: “I don’t think there has been any coherent messaging for a long time.
“It wasn’t helped at all by ‘party-gate’ either as people won’t be listening to them anymore.”
Asked if a lockdown could be possible with rising case numbers and many key workers isolating, they added: “There’s got to be a balance between keeping the economy going and being sensible but overall just getting on with life.”
Alan O’Reilly had travelled to Manchester over the weekend from his hometown near Dublin, and is currently studying abroad in Hamburg.
He and his friend Euan Snow, who had also travelled from Dublin, where Covid restrictions remain in place, said being in England was ‘surreal’ compared to Europe.
“It feels like it did before Covid existed here, it’s so different compared to Germany and Dublin,” Alan said.
“People aren’t really going to the pub in Dublin anymore because it closes at 8pm and you have to be sat down. It’s completely different here, we’ve been going to the pub as much as we can and it’s great.”
“We went to Manchester United the other day and we didn’t even show a Covid pass, you have to do that everywhere in Dublin,” Euan added.
“We’ve hardly had to think about Covid at all since being here, people are hardly wearing masks in the shop here, whereas back home you always have to think about how Covid might affect what you’re doing.
“It doesn’t feel like real life,” he laughed.
Alan added: “In Hamburg they’re very strict on it too, you have to wear a mask on all public transport. My friend visited me a few months ago and his mask wasl under his nose when on a train. He got fined on the spot.”
Asked which approached they preferred, Euan said: “I definitely feel safer being out in Dublin. When you’re at a bar you know everyone around you is vaccinated or tested which is reassuring.”
Alan added: “Realistically I’d rather be here and be able to do everything that I can. I feel I’d be much more likely to catch it here but I’m fully vaccinated and boosted so would be okay.”
Marjorie and John Burke also had experience with Covid abroad.
They split their time between Bolton and Alicante and feel restrictions are followed more by people in Spain.
John said: “We’re being cautious by wearing a mask and being fully vaccinated we feel but you can’t escape Covid. From the 6am to the 10pm news it’s all that’s talked about.
“People in Spain follow the rules a lot stricter than we do and it is properly enforced by police, it’s completely different there and it’s good.
“As long as you’re being cautious and cases stay lower in hospitals I think people should carry on with their lives.”
Marjorie added about the thought of lockdowns: “We should have locked down sooner in the first place, stopped travel, and we could have got on top of it properly.
“There’s been so much faffing about and it’s affected people so much, especially the young who’ve lost out on so much.”
Shelia was in St Peter’s Square on her way to the town hall and agreed that young people had been hit hard.
She also believed that messaging from government needed to be much clearer.
“I just wish it would go away now,” she said, “but it’s not going away in a hurry”.
“My daughters work in teaching and they say they’ve been given very little messaging at all about what they should be doing with their children.
“It’s been very difficult for them at their job.
“The messaging from government needs to be clearer as anything he (Boris Johnson) does and says at the moment is rubbish.
“We are in a right pickle.
“All this time of restrictions and poor messaging now has really affected peoples’ mental health and I can’t believe how difficult this must have been for younger people trying to sort their lives out.”
Georgia was returning to work in HR and said it had been a very difficult time for many workers.
“Many people I’ve worked with have struggled with their mental health over the last few years because of the pandemic,” she said.
“We’ve given the people the choice now of working from home or coming into the office because some people much prefer being in and socialising at work.
“People know to be sensible now and when to take tests and other things so it’s still cautious and safe.
“I don’t think there will be another lockdown and hopefully it seems that we’re coming out of the other side of it now.
“People are generally getting on with their lives now.”
