UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is set to lift Plan B COVID-19 restrictions in England, the Telegraph reported on Friday, as government scientists warn about dropping Plan B prematurely.

COVID-19 passports and work from home guidance are widely expected inside Whitehall to be lifted from January 26 for England, the report said, adding that some rules on face masks may remain.

An announcement could come as soon as this week, it said.

On Friday, the government published minutes from a January 7 meeting of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies that said the epidemic had the potential to continue to grow nationally.

The group also warned that if there were a reversal of current interventions like Plan B in England before the peak in infection was passed, it could lead to an increase in the overall impact of the wave on hospitalizations.

Britain reported 81,713 COVID cases and 287 coronavirus-related deaths on Saturday, which is after 99,652 positive cases and 270 deaths of people within 28 days of first testing positive for coronavirus reported on Friday.

The United Kingdom Health Security Agency believes England's R number now stands between 1.1 and 1.5, meaning that every 10 people infected with coronavirus will on average pass the disease to between 11 and 15 other people.

Meanwhile, the weekly Coronavirus Infection Survey, which is collated by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), shows that the percentage of people testing positive for the virus in the UK has continued to increase.

Plan B, introduced last month to slow the spread of the Omicron variant, includes ordering people to work from home, wear masks in public places and use COVID-19 passes to enter some venues.

(With input from agencies)