Plan B measures including mask wearing and working from home are to be dropped while self-isolation rules will also be scrapped.

Boris Johnson told MPs in the House of Commons more than 90% of over-60s across the UK had now had booster vaccines to protect them, and scientists believed the Omicron wave had peaked.

He said the government had taken a “different path” to much of Europe and the “data are showing that, time and again, this Government got the toughest decisions right”.

People will no longer be told to work from home and, from Thursday next week when Plan B measures lapse, mandatory Covid certification will end, Mr Johnson said.

The government will also no longer mandate the wearing of face masks anywhere from next Thursday and they will be scrapped in classrooms from tomorrow.

Mike Walters, chair of the Kent Association of Headteachers, says this is welcome news, adding: "As with all other times during the pandemic, we have been following the guidance from the DfE.

"What we have communicated to parents already for tomorrow is that there will no longer be any compulsory wearing of masks in classrooms but children will continue to have the choice to do so if they want to.

"But we still expect masks to be worn in communal areas indoors at all other times until the guidance changes.

"We all knew it would be a temporary measure that would be reviewed at the end of January and given that Covid case rates are relatively flat, and quite low in many schools, it's no surprise they came to this decision and we're quite happy with it.

"We don't really want children wearing masks in the classrooms or communal areas for any longer than necessary and as long as the scientific evidence suggests the risk is low, we are in favour of children being in a position where they can take their masks off."

The news comes as Covid infection levels are falling in most parts of the UK for the first time since early December.

Addressing the Commons the Prime Minister said: "As Covid becomes endemic we will need to replace legal requirements with guidance urging people with the virus to be considerate of others."

Self-isolation regulations will expire on 24 March and are not expected to be renewed.

Responding to today's announcement that Plan B precautions are to end, UNISON's, union representing those providing public services, general secretary Christina McAnea said: "Everyone wants to put the pandemic behind them.

"But if safety measures are abandoned too early, in one fell swoop, the good progress ​made could be quickly undone.

"The danger is people will think it is all over when ​no one can be sure that is true. New cases are no longer on the rise, but thousands are in hospital and many more are ​still being infected each day.

"Rather than allowing a free-for-all, ministers should be urging caution and encouraging ​continued mask-wearing on transport, in public places and in schools, where it c​an still make a real difference."

"Any restrictions that we're not imposing on people will make people more likely to travel.

Mr Johnson told former PM Theresa May travel restrictions were also being reviewed, something Chris Scoble from Tunbridge Wells based travel agent Go Scoble says is a step in the right direction for the industry.

He said: "We have been gearing up for this announcement for the past couple of weeks and scrapping some measures in Plan B is brilliant for travel.

"Any restrictions that we're not imposing on people will make people more likely to travel.

"It's not just leaving the country, people also get worried about having to get their tests sorted when they come back so if any of those restrictions are taken away, it makes it easier for people.

"Before Christmas, when Omicron really took off, it was a negative time with lots of cancellations but January has picked up.

"January is our busiest period anyway because people build up to Christmas and then feel miserable when they go back to work in January so look to do something exciting in the new year.

"Even the announcement that this may happen has brought a big spike and if you consider where we were this time last year, it's really good news."

Health Secretary Sajid Javid said in a press conference tonight: "This is a moment we can all be proud of. It is a reminder of what this country can accomplish."

He said the decision to open up in July "was not easy" but "showed how we can learn to live with Covid. But I also warned a harmful, new variant could have the potential to set us back."

Mr Javid added that we are the most open country in Europe and the country is in a stronger position than the previous winter.

Although mandatory mask wearing will be scrapped he said they suggest they are worn in enclosed and crowded spaces where people come into contact with people they do not normally meet

He added the Government will be "exploring where else we can ease restrictions" including visits to care homes.

Mr Javid continued: "The steps we have announced today represent a major milestone but it is not the end of the road and we should not see this as the end of the finish line. We must learn to live with Covid in the same way we have learned to live with flu."

He concluded by thanking all those who worked with the vaccine roll-out and urged those who are un-vaccinated to have the jab to "keep this success story moving forward."