the number of new covid cases in the united kingdom have dropped by half in the last two weeks. and with nearly all its covid restrictions lifted, the country is looking for an economic shot in the arm starting next week when americans can travel there freely. so cbs eleth paer is in london with the latest. reporter: it s the very height of tourist season in london, but you d never know it. crucially, there is no sign of the more than two million americans who used to visit every year. this is buckingham palace, and normally at this time of year, mid-summer, the place would be mobbed. but today, just a smattering of visitors. but the government hopes all that is going to change after a radical lifting of almost all covid restrictions. two, one! ( cheering ) reporter: nightclubs have reopened, pubs are back in business and, as of monday, lly vaed americans canh no
reporter: and in those internal c.d.c. documents, a recommendation that masks be reinstated unilaterally across the country, not just in those covid hot spots. but the c.d.c. has yet to make that official. norah. o donnell: all right, thank you. and this just in, actually. president biden was just asked by our weijia jiang if americans should expect more covid restrictions. and he said, in all probability. another element there. charlie de mar, thank you. let s bring in our chief medical correspondent dr. jon lapook. he speaks regularly with c.d.c. director rochelle walensky and other top health officials. dr. lapook, so glad you are here. all right, let s talk about this, because the c.d.c. using those words the war has changed, what exactly does that mean?he well, the war has changed because the enemy has some new weapons. it s more transmissible, more infectious, probably more deadly. remember in may when the c.d.c. relaxed its guidance about mashes, back then the delta va