LONDON – British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Saturday (Feb 19) clear that the pandemic is not over but we must learn to live with Covid. Britain is likely to set out plans next week to remove self-isolation requirements for people infected with COVID-19.
“Covid will not suddenly disappear, and we need to learn to live with this virus and continue to protect ourselves without restricting our freedoms,” Johnson said in a statement.
Johnson will also give more details on how Britain will guard against future coronavirus variants through ongoing surveillance, amid reports that the government wants to end free testing and scale back public health studies.
Currently, people in England are legally required to self-isolate for at least five days if instructed to by public health officials and are advised to isolate even without a specific order if they have COVID-19 symptoms or test positive.
Removing the COVID-19 self-isolation legal requirements and replacing them with voluntary guidance would bring the disease in line with how Britain treats most other infections.
Nearly 91% of the UK population have had one dose, and nearly 85% a second, and two-thirds of the population – including the vast majority of those most at risk – have had three.
“Pharmaceutical interventions, led by the vaccination programme, will continue to be our first line of defence,” the government said. “An awareness of public health guidance should remain, as with all infectious diseases such as flu.”
