Most remaining coronavirus restrictions in England end on Thursday, even as much of the rest of Europe adopts a more cautious approach.

Guidance to work from home was lifted last week, though in London on Thursday the morning rush hour still seemed somewhat subdued.

Mandatory mask-wearing has also been scrapped. However, in many enclosed spaces, businesses are requesting customers wear them.

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At the Ravola cafe in central London, the queue for morning coffees was back, much to the relief of Amelia Nastase, who had been missing some of her most loyal customers. 

The end of Plan B restrictions, the name of Boris Johnson's latest list of measures, has had a considerable impact, Nastase says: "We have customers coming back who I haven't seen for months, years."

Health workers do not necessarily share the sense of relief. The Omicron variant may seem less severe than previous ones, but the government's decision to allow it to circulate had already been keeping hospitalization numbers high, even if deaths have been lower. 

Some doctors worry the end of all restrictions may still be premature.

Indeed, many other parts of Europe continue to take a more cautious approach. For example, in the Netherlands, hospitality venues were shut entirely until earlier this week. Even now, curfews and social distancing remain in place amid a record number of infections.

That is something British ministers have been keen to remind their voters this past week. 

"Thanks to this huge collective effort, we're more boosted than any large country in Europe. We've created the largest testing program of any country in Europe and we've procured more antivirals than any country in Europe. That's why we are the most open country in Europe," UK Health Minister Sajid Javid boasted last week when announcing the plans to ease restrictions.

The hope, of course, is that this time, such changes really will be permanent.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson insists his government has made the right decisions at the correct times when it comes to easing restrictions and the success of the vaccine roll-out has allowed the UK to be one of the only major economies not to close down over Christmas. 

The great irony is, Johnson is now accused of partying in his office while telling everyone else to stay home. And at the exact time when he orders the country back to work, he stands at risk of losing his job.