Boris Johnson has set out what life with Covid will look like after 19 July, the date some have dubbed “freedom day”.
Despite warnings from scientists and medics amid rising cases, the prime minister said that the majority of social distancing measures will be scrapped as of 19 July. All requirements to wear face masks are also set to be lifted.
At a Downing Street news conference, he said Britain “must learn to live with the virus”.
He confirmed that the government hopes to go ahead with the final lifting of lockdown restrictions on 19 July – but said this would only be fully approved on 12 July.
What is expected to change on 19 July?
Recommended Newcastle has highest Covid rate in England amid surge in cases in North East Is it safe to have so many fans in stadiums at the Euros? Government messaging on lockdown lifting ‘very confused’, scientific adviser says
All regulations on social distancing and mask wearing are to be lifted on 19 July, although there will be guidance on mask-wearing in confined places. The requirement to work from home where possible will end, but employers are encouraged to consult with their staff about this move. No new employment rights were announced, so employees will have no legal backing to refuse work in a workplace without masking or social distancing protocols. Local transport authorities and airlines will be able to set mask-wearing as a condition for travel, but there will be no law requiring masks to be worn. Table service and other social distancing measures in pubs and restaurants are also set to be lifted on 19 July, which will allow drinkers to order at the bar again. Sports stadiums and venues such as theatres and cinemas will be allowed to fully reopen with no cap on capacity. The limit on named care home visitors will be lifted but infection control measures will remain in place. The requirement to self-isolate for 14 days will remain in place for those who test positive for Covid-19 but the government is looking to change rules for fully vaccinated contacts of positive cases. Social distancing restrictions will also remain in place at ports and airports, where the one-metre plus rule will continue to apply.
What about holidays and school rules on Covid?
An announcement on travel from amber list countries for travellers who have received both doses of a coronavirus vaccine is expected to come later this week.
The prime minister said the government would maintain the red list of nations from which travellers will have to isolate in quarantine hotels on arrival in the UK.
On schools, he said the education secretary would make an announcement on the plan for pupil bubbles on Tuesday.
The prime minister’s announcements came despite a backlash from the scientific community.
One member of the government’s Sage advisory body called health secretary Sajid Javid’s comments on Covid last week “frightening”, while a second warned reopening would result in new “variant factories”, as transmission soared.
Professor Stephen Reicher tweeted: “It is frightening to have a ‘health’ secretary who still thinks Covid is flu, who is unconcerned at levels of infection, who doesn’t realise that those who do best for health also do best for the economy, who wants to ditch all protections while only half of us are vaccinated.
“The key message of the pandemic is ‘this isn’t an ‘I’ thing, it’s a ‘we’ thing’. Your behaviour affects my health. Get your head around the ‘we’ concept.”
Professor Adam Finn, from the government’s Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, warned the pandemic could still spiral “out of control” in the UK.
“I shall certainly be continuing to wear a mask if I have got any symptoms, or if I am in an enclosed space with lots of other people for a prolonged period of time,” he said.
Mr Johnson will brace the public for serious illness and deaths to continue, at a Downing Street press conference – with the link from rising infections only “weakened”, not severed – but at far lower levels than before most people were vaccinated.