After all Covid restrictions were finally dropped under Boris Johnson’s plan to live with the virus last year, many assumed Britain had seen the back of pandemic-era curbs.
But with the NHS battling its worst-ever crisis, the threat of some restrictions being brought back has reared its head again.
The virus’ resurgence is one of several factors piling pressure on the crippled health service. Experts have warned the new XBB.1.5 variant, nicknamed ‘the Kraken’, may exacerbate the current dire situation.