This includes the requirement that COVID-19-positive people self-isolate. However, he acknowledged Monday that there could be new, more deadly forms of the virus.
Johnson informed the House of Commons about the country’s “movement from government restrictions to individual responsibility” in a plan for treating COVID-19 and other transmissible diseases like flu.
It marked the end of “two of our darkest and most grimest years in our peaceful history.”
Johnson stated at a televised news conference that “Today isn’t the day we can declare victory against COVID because this virus isn’t going away.” “But it’s the day when all our efforts over the past two years finally allowed us to protect ourselves while restoring our liberty in full.”
Johnson announced that people with COVID-19 must stop being isolated and routine traceability of contacts will cease. While people will be advised to remain home if they become sick, they will not receive any financial assistance.
Monday’s announcement is only for England, home to 56 million of the 67 million U.K. citizens. England will be exempted from most restrictions in Europe, except Denmark.
Many people who believe they have COVID-19 in England may never find out. The only people who can get lab-confirmed, PCR tests for the virus are the elderly and those with compromised immune systems. The government will no longer offer rapid virus tests to the public for free, but they will still be available for purchase.
The government stressed, however, that the pandemic was not over and that there could be more serious consequences. Johnson stated that scientists are “certain” there will be new strains, and that it is possible they will be more dangerous than Omicron, the current dominant strain.
Johnson stated that Queen Elizabeth II was positive for COVID-19 Sunday, which was a reminder of the virus’s still-present nature. Buckingham Palace stated that the monarch, who is 95 years old, was suffering from mild, cold-like symptoms.
The government plan aims to keep the virus under control with vaccines and treatment. Everybody over 75 years old will receive a fourth dose of vaccines, as well as those aged 12 and above who are at risk for severe illness.
Scientists believe that removing all restrictions could lead to an increase in infections and weaken the nation’s defenses against future viruses.
The government insisted that it would maintain a strong surveillance system. This includes the Infection Survey by the Office for National Statistics. It is considered valuable because it determines whether people have symptoms. It also stated that it will continue to have the ability to increase testing as needed.
Chris Whitty was the chief medical officer in England and said that the prevalence of the virus is still “very high”. He urged people not to isolate themselves if they have COVID-19.
He said that people should not stop COVID from being transmitted to others if they have it. This means self-isolating.
Keir Starmer (leader of the opposition Labour Party) said that Britain’s “half-baked approach” to the government would make it vulnerable.
Starmer stated that “Ignorance is bliss” is not a responsible way to deal with a deadly virus.
Johnson’s Conservative government lifted most of the virus restrictions in January. It scrapped vaccine passports for venues, and ended mask mandates in all settings except hospitals in England. Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland have also opened their doors, though more slowly.
Due to the combination of Omicron variant vaccinations in the U.K., and high vaccination rates in the U.K., there wasn’t an increase in deaths or hospitalizations last month. Both are declining, but the U.K. still has Europe’s highest coronavirus death toll, surpassing Russia’s 161,000.
In Britain, almost 85% of those aged 12 and older have received two doses of vaccines and nearly two-thirds have received a third booster shot.
Many Conservative Party lawmakers cheered Monday’s announcement, who claim that the restrictions were inefficiently imposed and excessive. It could — and critics claim it was designed to — strengthen Johnson’s position within party lawmakers, who have been considering an attempt to remove him due to scandals such as lockdown breaking government parties during a pandemic.
Some scientists raised alarm by stating that the end of support for testing and isolating would be devastating to poor people.
Trish Greenhalgh (Professor of Primary Care Health Services at the University of Oxford) stated that today’s announcement was not about living with COVID. It is a plan to reduce spending on testing and cut support for those who may have it.
She noted that “Learning to live and cope with COVID doesn’t mean you have to pretend it’s not prevalent or that the virus isn’t dangerous.”
