The legal requirement to self-isolate after testing positive for covid has been scrapped by Boris Johnson.
In the House of Commons on Monday, February 21, Boris Johnson announced the need to isolate after testing positive for coronavirus would end.
The prime minister added it was now time for the country to move away from government restrictions and to personal responsibility.
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Changes to self-isolation laws will come into place from Thursday, February 24, as part of Mr Johnson's plan for "living with covid".
Those who receive a positive Covid-19 test will still be advised to stay at home for at least five days, but will not be obliged to under law under the plans subject to parliamentary approval.
In the briefing, Mr Johnson said: "Until April 1 we will still advise people who test positive to stay at home but after that we will encourage people with Covid-19 symptoms to exercise personal responsibility, just as we encourage people who may have flu to be considerate to others."
He added: "It's only because levels of immunity are so high and deaths are now if anything below where you would normally expect for this time of year that we can lift these restrictions and it's only because we know Omicron is less severe that testing for Omicron on the colossal scale we've been doing is much less important and much less valuable in preventing serious illness.
Routine contact tracing will also end on Thursday, as will self-isolation payments and the legal obligation for individuals to tell their employers about their requirement to isolate.
Mr Johnson also told MPs that changes to statutory sick pay and employment support allowance designed to help people through the coronavirus pandemic will end on March 24.
Mr Johnson also announced free universal testing will end on April 1, but added the government would provide kits for the oldest and most vulnerable people.
Boris Johnson said from April 1 the use of voluntarily covid status certification will no longer be recommended, adding: "The NHS app will continue to allow people to indicate their vaccination status for international travel.
"The Government will also expire all temporary provisions of the Coronavirus Act. Of the original 40, 20 have already expired and 16 will expire on March 24, and the last four relating to innovations in public service will expire six months later after we've made those improvements permanent via other means."
Mr Johnson said "targeted vaccines and treatments" will be in place for the most vulnerable, telling the Commons: "Today we're taking further action to guard against a possible resurgence of the virus, accepting JCVI advice for a new spring booster offered to those aged 75 and older, to older care home residents and to those over 12 who are immunosuppressed."
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