Daily activities are likely returning to normalcy in Norway. (Photo: Reuters)

Face masks will no longer be mandatory in schools, shops, concert halls, or workplaces.

Germany, the most populous nation in the European Union, will ease most of coronavirus rules on a three-step plan, now that the wave of infections from the Omicron coronavirus variant seems to have passed its peak in most localities.

All children between 5 and 11 in the UK will be offered a low-dose COVID vaccine.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization, the British Government's advisory body, made the recommendation on Tuesday.

According to worldometers.info, as of Thursday the world had recorded nearly 418 million COVID-19 cases and 5.86 million deaths.

The US continues to be the hardest hit country with nearly 80 million cases and more than 952,000 deaths, followed by India and Brazil.