British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to announce a further easing of coronavirus restrictions in England on Monday, despite a daily delta-related increase in cases as people learn to live with the virus and “exercise decisions”. should go as . about his daily life.
Johnson is expected to advance the final phase of a four-stage plan to break out of the blockade and “restore people’s liberties” when he speaks at a press conference on Monday. The fourth phase, which will come into effect from July 19, will mean the removal of rules on the use of masks, the end of social distancing and the return of large-scale events.
“Thanks to the successful implementation of our vaccination program, we are proceeding cautiously with our roadmap,” Johnson said in a statement ahead of Sunday’s announcement. “Today we will explain how we can restore the freedom of the people when we reach Phase 4.
But I must point out that the pandemic is not over and cases will continue to rise in the coming weeks. As we begin to learn to live with this virus, we must all continue to carefully manage COVID risks and make decisions as we tackle our lives.”
The move to ease the rules seems to be moving forward, despite coronavirus cases rising to their highest level since January.
The number of infected daily reached 24,248 on Sunday with 15 deaths.
The government said that as of 4 July, more than 78 million doses of the vaccine have been given across the UK, with 63.4% of adults receiving two doses.
The British Medical Association (BMA) has expressed concern over the removal of all measures to limit the spread of the virus due to an increase in the delta variable.
BMA president Chand Nagpole told Sunrise Radio on Sunday that the government should continue with “appropriately targeted coronavirus measures” and act on “data, not date” when making its decisions to protect people’s lives.
New health minister Sajid Javid is expected to announce the details of the exemption in parliament ahead of Johnson’s press conference.
It’s scary to have a “health” minister who still thinks covid is the flu
Who doesn’t care about the level of infection?
Who doesn’t know that those who do their best for health are also better for the economy
Who wants to give up all protection when only half of us are vaccinated. pic.twitter.com/tzpRLoAnYZ—Stephen Reicher (@ReicherStephen) 4 July 2021
In a right-wing Mail article on Sunday, Javid said people should learn to live with the coronavirus when they have the flu and that the country is “on the right track” to exit the lockdown as planned for July 19. The decentralized UK has different plans for reopening, with Scotland aiming for 9 August.
“We will have a country that will not only be free, but also healthy,” Javid wrote.
Officials said data from Public Health England showed COVID vaccines are 96% effective against severe disease and Pfizer-Biontech at Delta Variant Hospital and Oxford AstraZeneca 92% effective against hospitalization after two doses, officials said.
The government is also preparing to provide a third dose of the “booster” during the winter months to the most vulnerable groups and people over 50 to boost their immunity.
The minister will take the final decision on reopening on July 12.
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