New Telegraph

Johnson urges caution as Covid rules ease in England

 

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has urged caution as most legal restrictions on social contact are lifted in England.

There are now no limits on how many people can meet or attend events, nightclubs can reopen, and table service will not be necessary in pubs and restaurants, reports the BBC.

Face coverings will be recommended in some spaces, but not required by law.

The PM, chancellor and the health secretary are self-isolating, and there are warnings cases will surge.

Some scientists are predicting that UK infections – currently at about 50,000 a day – could reach 200,000 a day later in the summer.

But with more than 68% of UK adults fully vaccinated modelling suggests hospital admissions, serious illness and deaths from Covid-19 will be at a lower level than in earlier peaks.

In a video posted on Twitter on Sunday afternoon, the prime minister said now was the “right moment” to move to the final stage of England’s roadmap out of lockdown.

“If we don’t do it now we’ve got to ask ourselves, when will we ever do it?” he asked, adding that the virus would have the “advantage of the cold weather” in autumn and winter.

“But we’ve got to do it cautiously. We’ve got to remember that this virus is sadly still out there. Cases are rising, we can see the extreme contagiousness of the Delta variant.”

As restrictions ease in England, businesses such as nightclubs – and large events – will be encouraged to use the NHS Covid Pass to check people are fully vaccinated.

And contact tracing and self-isolation requirements will remain in place.

UK-wide guidance recommending against travel to amber list countries is also being removed. Adults who have been fully vaccinated in the UK will not have to self-isolate for 10 days after visiting these countries – with the exception of those returning from France to England, Scotland or Wales, because of concerns over the spread of the Beta variant of the virus.

Scotland is easing restrictions so that pubs and restaurants can open until midnight – but limits on outdoor meetings will remain, the return of workers to offices will be delayed and face coverings will still be mandatory.

Restrictions are set to be relaxed in Wales on August 7 and in Northern Ireland on July 26.

Read Previous

Danish Muhammad cartoonist, Kurt Westergaard, dies at 86

Read Next

Covid vaccination centres vandalised in France

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *