Depending on who you talk to this week, the impact of "Freedom Day" — and the ending of COVID-19 restrictions in England — changes. 

Lauren Potts and Jake Kuit are both from Wollongong, but lead very different lives in London.

Ms Potts works as a primary school teacher, while Mr Kuit is an event florist.

"I can do events again and have my main form of income," Mr Kuit said.

"There is no more rethinking where I'll get my money from now. If there's an event or party, I can do it, so that's the most exciting thing."

Mr Kuit has only recently returned to the country after spending several months back in Australia, where he received both Pfizer vaccinations because he had to return to the UK for work.

His own vaccination — and that of so many Brits — has given the expat florist a sense of confidence and optimism for life in London.

"Freedom Day was bizarre because everyone was suddenly walking around. They're outside without masks and no social distancing," he said.

"London is back, tourism is back, it's normality and that's the great thing."

Mr Kuit said he had lived through a particularly difficult time in the UK.

Cautious approach for primary schools

A primary teacher, Ms Potts has been working with her teaching colleagues in the central London suburb of Islington where they are maintaining a tight "COVID bubble" at their school.

She said that, while many of England's restrictions have been lifted, her school would choose to keep some.

"The communal decision [at school] was to keep the restrictions in place.

"We can't do all this hard work and then throw caution to the wind and shut down bubbles or [be exposed to the virus and] end up missing the first week of our summer holiday."

At Ms Potts' school, that means keeping masks on inside or in common areas outside.

She said the lifting of restrictions would not dramatically change her way of life in London.

"For me, the people who are winning are those who have had events planned [such as] weddings and people wanting to go to clubs," Ms Potts said.

"Even with that … people will have to show proof of being double-vaccinated to go into a club."

'Every second person getting pinged'

Ms Potts has been experiencing what it is like to live in a city that has been recording tens of thousands of new COVID-19 cases each day.

She said the NHS Track and Trace app relies on people to download it and declare when they have tested positive to COVID-19.

It then alerts other users if they have come into contact with someone carrying the virus.

"It seems like every second person is getting pinged to say they've been in contact with someone who tests positive," she said.

Mr Kuit also noticed a sense of caution as restrictions lift in spite of the large number of daily cases.

"People aren't talking about it and they don't want to jinx it."