Britain lifts COVID-19 restrictions next week, despite rising cases

Boris Johnson

Boris Johnson

Boris Johnson on Monday announcing  lifting of COVID-19 restrictions
Boris Johnson on Monday announcing lifting of COVID-19 restrictions

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed on Monday the decision by government to lift the COVID-19 restrictions from 19 July.

This is despite 30,000 cases a day being reported, a surge fuelled by a new variant of the virus.

“Cases will rise as we unlock, so as we confirm our plans today, our message will be clear. Caution is absolutely vital, and we must all take responsibility so we don’t undo our progress,” he said in a statement released late on Sunday.

On Monday, health minister Sajid Javid told Parliament about the plan but called for caution, saying an increase in cases underlined that the pandemic was by no means over.

England will be the first nation in Britain to lift the legal requirement to wear masks and for people to socially distance from July 19, Javid announced.

But what was once billed as “freedom day” is now being treated with greater wariness by the government after a surge in cases and fears that there could be as many as 100,000 new infections a day over the summer.

Javid announced to parliament that the four conditions to relax strict curbs on behaviour had been met.

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He urged people to act responsibly because the link between cases and deaths while “severely weakened” had yet to be fully broken.

“Thanks to the shared sacrifices of the British people and the protective wall of our vaccination programme, we have made huge advances,” Javid said.

“We firmly believe that this is the right time to get our nation closer to normal life… It’s the start of a new phase of continued caution.”

He said people should still wear masks in crowded areas such as public transport, that people should gradually move back to the workplace and the government would encourage businesses holding mass events to use certification as a way to open up.

Britain has implemented one of the world’s fastest vaccination programmes, with more than 87% of adults having received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 66% having received two.

The government argues that the fact that deaths and hospital admissions remain far lower than before, even though cases have risen sharply, is proof that the vaccines are saving lives and it is safer to open up.

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