Covid restrictions are being relaxed from today with face coverings no longer having to be worn in indoor venues, and organisations able to choose whether to insist on NHS covid passes for their premises.

The return of Plan A also sees an end to pupils and teachers having to wear face masks in classrooms and the requirement to work from home dropped.

The relaxation of measures comes after six weeks of Plan B, the Government’s push against the Omicron variant of Covid-19.

In West Devon, employers now have the option of allowing staff to return to offices. Many, however, are still being flexible, acknowledging that not everyone feels comfortable returning to work.

Among them is estate agent James Stevens of Stevens Estate Agents in Okehampton, who said: ’Generally I welcome this, our business has meant that we have mostly had to continue working from home and in fact other people’s homes.’

’We appreciate everyone has different views on covid safety and different levels of vulnerability to the virus so we will maintain a high level of precautions especially when entering people’s homes but this can be tailored where the customer and member of staff feel appropriate but I’ll respect and honour both.’

Town councillor Christine Marsh said she felt the latest relaxation of the rules allowing masks to be dropped would ’not make much difference’ in getting more people into the shops to spend money.

’It is a combination of things,’ she said. ’People are not used to going out, they haven’t got as much money. Things are really quiet. I don’t know what the answer is to be honest.’

However, Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid Javid has said that the return to Plan A represents the latest step on a journey towards getting free of covid and back to a more normal way of life.

’Our plan was to use the time that Plan B gave us to give ourselves extra power in our fight against Omicron. That plan has worked, and the data shows that Omicron is in retreat, but it’s not the end of the road and we shouldn’t see this as the finish line. The best step that we can all take is to get vaccinated. It was the jabs that have got us this far, and the jabs can keep us here too.

’The recent decline in community case rates and individuals requiring hospitalisation is encouraging and it’s thanks to the public, who have taken up vaccination and followed the Plan B measures closely, that we’ve got to this point. I encourage everyone to get the vaccine as soon as they can, to continue testing regularly with lateral flow tests - particularly before periods of high risk and before seeing anyone who is vulnerable - and to take a PCR test if they have symptoms.’