UK faces calls for 'Plan B' with virus cases high and rising

London: Life has returned to normal for millions in Britain since Coronavirus restrictions were lifted over the summer. But while the rules have vanished, the virus hasn't.

Many scientists are now calling on the government to reimpose social restrictions and speed up booster vaccinations as Coronavirus infection rates, already Europe's highest, rise still further.

The U.K. recorded 49,156 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, the largest number since mid-July.

New infections averaged 43,000 a day over the past week, a 15% increase on the week before.

Last week, the Office for National Statistics estimated that one in 60 people in England had the virus, one of the highest levels seen in Britain during the pandemic.

In July, Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government lifted all the legal restrictions that had been imposed more than a year earlier to slow the spread of the virus, including face coverings indoors and social distancing rules. Nightclubs and other crowded venues were allowed to open at full capacity, and people were no longer advised to work from home if they could.

Some modellers feared a big spike in cases after the opening-up. That didn't occur, but infections remained high, and recently have begun to increase especially among children, who largely remain unvaccinated.

Also rising are hospitalizations and deaths, which are averaging more than 100 a day far lower than when cases were last this high, before much of the population was vaccinated, but still too high, critics of the government say.

Some say Britons have been too quick to return to pre-pandemic behaviour.

Masks and social distancing have all but vanished in most settings in England, including schools, though Scotland and other parts of the U.K. remain a bit more strict. Even in shops, where masks are recommended, and on the London transit network, where they are mandatory, adherence is patchy.

A plan to require proof of vaccination to attend nightclubs, concerts and other mass events in England was dropped by the Conservative government amid opposition from lawmakers, though Scotland introduced a vaccine pass program this month.