Nearly 5,000 people each day could be admitted to hospital with Covid after England rushes back to normality, scientists have warned.
Ministers have approved lifting the final remaining lockdown restrictions from July 19.
Health Secretary Sajid Javid said earlier that the legal requirement for the wearing of masks as well as the ‘rule of six’ indoors and the ban on nightclubs opening will all be scrapped.
He told MPs there will "never be a perfect time" to lift the restrictions, and said: "To those who say 'why take this step now' I say 'if not now, when?'"
It comes amid soaring case numbers that have reached levels not seen since January, with nearly 35,000 new cases recorded alone yesterday.
The Times reports warnings from scientists that if England rushes back to normality up to 4,800 people a day could be admitted to hospital with coronavirus.
Modelling by the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) said admissions could rise above levels seen in January with up to 200 deaths a day unless the public took a cautious approach to relaxing restrictions.
Their data suggests that hospital admissions could be kept below 1,000 a day if a return to normality is staggered over three to five months.
They are predicted to be between 1,000 and 2,000 a day at the height of the looming summer wave, compared with 4,000 a day in the winter.
But one model is said to have warned of a risk of 4,800 a day if 'normal contact patterns resumed' over the coming month.
Because of the impact from vaccinations, deaths are predicted to fall 'well below' January levels.
Latest government figures show that nearly 46 million people have been given a first dose of a vaccine, while nearly 35 million are 'fully vaccinated' - having had two shots.
Most of the remaining coronavirus restrictions are set to be lifted on Monday.
But the government said it will “expect and recommend” people in England to wear face masks in “crowded areas such as public transport”, No10 said.
That is a change from last week, when guidance had said face coverings “reduce your risk and the risk to others” but people were told they would be able to make a personal judgement.
