UK to end all remaining COVID-19 restrictions next week as cases continue to decline

As COVID cases continue to decline, the UK government is preparing to end all remaining COVID-19 restrictions in England, including the rule to self-isolate if one tests positive. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson stated that all the legal restrictions as part of his "living with COVID-19" plan will be dropped soon, reported Sputnik. In a press release, Downing Street confirmed that the UK Prime Minister on Monday will outline the government's plan to lift COVID-related restrictions as cases continue to go down. While the vaccination process and other pharmaceutical interventions will continue to remain in place as the "first line of defense" against the deadly coronavirus,

"COVID will not suddenly disappear, and we need to learn to live with this virus and continue to protect ourselves without restricting our freedoms. Thanks to our successful vaccination programme and the sheer number of people who have come forward to be jabbed, we are now in a position to set out our plan for living with COVID this week, "stated Johnson in Parliament."

UK govt to scrap "living with COVID-19" plan next week

While addressing the house, Johnson hailed his Plan B, which he imposed to curtail the spread of COVID-19, and spoke about the vaccination drive that has so far inoculated more than 70% of the people across the UK. Johnson told MPs that "Provided the current encouraging trends in the data continue, it is my expectation that we will be able to end the last domestic restrictions-including the legal requirement to self-isolate if you test positive-a full month early."

After the removal of the "living with COVID-19" plan, the government is expected to focus more on public health guidance – similar to the way infectious diseases, such as the flu, are managed. However, there have been no clear guidelines regarding the daily free testing that will be allowed after all restrictions are removed. According to The Guardian, lateral flow tests (LFTs) are expected to be scrapped within weeks. Since Plan B was removed a month ago, wearing face masks in public places has become optional, while masks remain mandatory in places like hospitals and vaccination centers, but soon the government is going to decide on this as well. Travel restrictions such as the "red list" will continue to remain in place, and unvaccinated people will still need a COVID-19 test report to travel to England. Meanwhile, in the last 24 hours, the UK reported a total of 34,377 COVID cases along with 128 new deaths.