Boris Johnson is set to outline his plan to scrap remaining covid rules in England in a press conference on Monday (February 21).
The Prime Minister met with the Cabinet this morning to sign off on the “living with covid ” plans, before they will be presented to the House of Commons later today.
After that, Mr Johnson will lead a press conference from the Downing Street podium.
READ MORE: Boris Johnson welcomes Biden and Putin peace talk agreement
The UK’s first lockdown was announced on March 23, 2020, when the P rime Minister ordered people to stay at home.
Two days later, the Coronavirus Act 2020 got Royal Assent.
Lockdown measures legally came into force from March 26, 2020, and England has faced various levels of measures ever since.
The last significant change in measures came on January 27, 2022, when England moved on from Plan B measures, meaning people were no longer being advised to work from home, face coverings were no longer mandatory and organisations were able to choose whether to require covid passes for entry.
The Prime Minister is expected to scrap the country’s remaining measures - namely self-isolation rules - while free tests are expected to be scaled back significantly.
What do you think of the decision to scrap self-isolation? Let us know in the comments
What to expect from the announcement
Self isolation laws for people who test positive for the virus are due to be axed from the end of this week, meaning the decision to stay at home if you have covid will become the public’s.
Free covid testing is expected to be drastically scaled back, with possible exceptions for the elderly and vulnerable.
No date has yet been set for ditching free PCRs and lateral flow tests but it is not expected to be immediately.
What has the response been?
Mr Johnson admitted the pandemic was not over, but added: "Thanks to the incredible vaccine rollout we are now one step closer towards a return to normality and finally giving people back their freedoms while continuing to protect ourselves and others."
Business Minister Paul Scully said it would be up to bosses and workers to make decisions over self-isolating, reports the Mirror .
He told Sky News: "I would say that it's like any illness, frankly, any transmissible illness that you would say stay at home."
Pressed on what people should do if their employers try to make them come into work with covid, he said: "This is why we need to make sure that we've got really good guidance for employers.
"But as I say, there will come a time when the pandemic moves to more of an endemic approach to covid, in the same way that flu and other viruses are treated, and that's what we've got to get back to."
He said free testing needed to be reduced as "we can't continue forevermore spending £2 billion a month on tests".
Mr Scully said: "If you think what that £2 billion might go towards, there's a lot of other backlogs in the NHS, other illnesses in the NHS, that that money could otherwise go for.
"So for every person that is worried about a test, there may be another person that's worried about a cancer diagnosis, for instance."
However there is disquiet about axing free tests from some quarters.
Former Tory minister Tim Loughton told the BBC's Westminster Hour he had "slight apprehensions" about curtailing free tests.
"I think we still do need to have testing available widely because I think that is the reassurance people can have that they've taken all possible precautions and they don't want to infect other people," he said.
Additionally, education unions are warning of chaos in schools unless the Government overturns its decision to scrap all remaining covid safety rules in England.
Unison, Unite and the GMB, which represent school support staff, are urging the Prime Minister to keep in place free testing and the requirement to self-isolate.
The three unions warned that the failure to provide clear, detailed guidance risks a “super spreader free-for-all” in schools and other workplaces.
Unison’s head of education Mike Short said: “Protection and safety are what’s needed, but there’s only confusion on offer from the Government. Parents and staff are desperate for a return to normality – but not at any cost.
“The Prime Minister appears to care more about keeping in with his backbenchers than he does about the health of the nation.
“Rather than throw caution to the wind and jeopardise the education of children who’ve lost so much, it’s time to show leadership, put aside self-interest and err on the side of caution.”
Receive newsletters with the latest news, sport and what's on updates from the Liverpool ECHO by signing up here
