UK Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, has said all COVID-19 legal restrictions will end in England on Thursday, February 24, 2022, and free lateral flow testing will end on April 1, 2022.
The PM told the Commons the legal requirement to self-isolate for those who test positive would be released.
From April 1, 2022, Mr. Johnson said the provision of free rapid testing would target certain sections of the population. The £500 isolation payment for people on low incomes is expected to end by February 25, 2022.
However, Mr. Johnson told MPs that Covid provisions for increased statutory sick-pay would apply for a further month.
He said the efforts made by the country over the past two years suggest the UK’s readiness to move away from government restrictions and to a position of personal responsibility.
“Covid will not suddenly disappear so those who would wait for a total end to this war before lifting the remaining regulations would be restricting the liberties of the British people for a long time to come. This government does not believe that this is right or necessary. Restrictions pose a heavy toll on our economy, our society, our mental well-being and on the life chances of our children, and we do not need to pay that heavy cost any longer.”
UK Prime Minister, Boris Johnson
What is changing in England?
From February 21, 2022, the government is dropping guidance for staff and students in most education and childcare settings to undertake twice-weekly asymptomatic testing.
From Thursday, February 24, 2022, people who test positive for Covid will no longer be legally required to self-isolate. Again, from Thursday, February 24, 2022, fully vaccinated close contacts and those aged under 18 will no longer be legally required to test daily for seven days.
From April 1, 2022, free mass lateral flow testing for symptomatic and asymptomatic people will end. Still, from April 1, 2022, people with Covid symptoms will be asked to exercise personal responsibility when deciding whether to stay at home, until then they are still advised to do so.
Mr Johnson said: “It’s only because levels of immunity are so high and deaths are now if anything, below where you would normally expect for this time of year that we can lift these restrictions.”
“It’s only because we know Omicron is less severe that testing for Omicron on the colossal scale we’ve been doing is much less important and much less valuable in preventing serious illness.”
UK Prime Minister, Boris Johnson
The PM noted that free lateral flow tests for symptomatic older people and the most vulnerable groups would still be provided, and ministers would work with retailers to ensure everyone who needed a test be able to afford one.
Mr Johnson said “targeted vaccines and treatments” would be in place for the most vulnerable. To “guard against a possible resurgence of the virus”, the government accepted the recommendation by the UK’s Vaccine Advisory Body, which says an additional Covid booster vaccination should be offered to all adults over the age of 75 and the most vulnerable over-12 years during this spring season.
Boris Johnson said advice by the government’s Sage scientists suggest that there was “considerable uncertainty about the future path of the pandemic” and warned there could be “significant resurgences” of the virus.
“They are certain there will be new variants and it is very possible they will be worse than Omicron.”
UK Prime Minister, Boris Johnson
Boris Johnson further said the government would maintain resilience to manage and respond to the risks, by keeping track of surges in cases with the Office for National Statistics infection surveillance survey.
Plan B measures were introduced in December 2021, to stem the spread of the Omicron variant. The mandatory wearing of masks in public places and the use of Covid passes for large events were abolished in England last month (January 2022), however, the mandatory face masks are still mandatory on London’s transport network.
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