Covid-19 restrictions could end a month sooner than expected, says Johnson
All of England’s remaining Covid-19 restrictions could be scrapped a month earlier than expected, prime minister Boris Johnson has said.
“Providing the current encouraging trends in the data continue, it is my expectation that we will be able to end the last domestic restrictions, including the legal requirement to self-isolate if you test positive, a full month early,” the prime minister told MPs.
Current restrictions were due to end on March 24. However, England could see restrictions fall away as early as February 21.
Beyond self-isolation rules, the few measures still left in England also include venues opting for people to show an NHS Covid-19 pass to be allowed entry and requiring a face covering in heath and care settings and public transport.
Local authorities can also recommend face coverings in communal areas of schools.
It comes as data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealed that a little over 98 per cent of England’s adult population had tested positive for Covid-19 antibodies in mid-January.
It means a very high percentage of England has either been vaccinated or has recovered from the virus.