As Britain Reopens, Scientists Warn of Fertile Ground for Coronavirus Variants

LONDON - As Britons celebrate the lifting of coronavirus lockdown restrictions earlier this month, some scientists warn that the country risks becoming a breeding ground for new variants of the virus that could be more resistant to vaccines.

Most restrictions were removed July 19, including social distancing regulations and the compulsory wearing of face masks. Indoor venues such as nightclubs reopened for the first time since March 2020. For many young people in Britain, the changes marked the return of longed-for socializing and partying, a chance to forget the misery of lockdown. “We’ve been the last ones to get the vaccine, we’ve always been to blame, we’ve been blamed for the spread of the COVID. And it's just nice to get freedom and just brush it all off,” said one clubgoer in the northern city of Leeds, who did not want to give her name.