And while cases soared when restrictions were lifted this summer, deaths didn’t follow at anywhere near the same pace. But the winter months, when respiratory diseases are usually at their highest, could bring an added challenge. Scotland, which is part of the U.K. but sets its own health rules, is being more cautious, introducing vaccine passports for nightclubs and keeping mandatory masks indoors. Once the U.K. had some of Europe’s strictest international travel rules, but it’s easing quarantine and testing restrictions for many visitors starting next month. Johnson’s government is counting on vaccines to do the heavy lifting against the virus, supplemented by voluntary “common sense” behavior.
