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Boris Johnson Says ‘Living With COVID-19’ Plan Will Restore Freedom
On Sunday, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that people with COVID-19 in England will no longer need to isolate from this week onwards as the government lays out a plan for “living with” the virus. In a Twitter post, PM Johnson noted the successful vaccine program against novel coronavirus and expressed his desire to “end all COVID-related mandates.” Downing Street is expected to present the details of the plan in Parliament today.
Covid will not suddenly disappear, and we need to learn to live with this virus and continue to protect ourselves without restricting our freedoms. 1/3
— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) February 20, 2022
As reported, the plan to abolition all mandates in England has been proposed, pointing out the drop in COVID infection rates in the UK, which “shows that the hard work of the British people is paying off,” Boris Johnson said. Over the past two years, we’ve built up strong protections against this virus through vaccine rollouts, tests, and new treatments, as well as our best understanding of what this virus can do,” UK PM Boris Johnson said. “The sheer magnitude of people who have come forward to be vaccinated, (puts us) in a good position to plan how to deal with COVID-19 this week,” he said.
We’ve built up strong protections against this virus over the past two years through the vaccine rollouts, tests, new treatments, and the best scientific understanding of what this virus can do. 2/3
— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) February 20, 2022
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Health experts question UK PM Boris Johnson risky ‘living with covid plan’
Although the UK has seen a noticeable drop in infection rates, health experts warn against scrapping all COVID measures at once. The infected can leave home after five and six days after isolation if the rapid test results are negative. It was announced last month that Downing Street planned to remove all COVID restrictions by March 24, but the surprise announcement came during a meeting at the House of Commons on Wednesday, showing Johnson’s haste to strengthen the timetable.
Some scientists have warned that the elimination of measures could lead to an outbreak of infection and weaken the country’s defenses against future infections, according to the Associated Press. Wes Streeting, the health spokesman for Labour’s main opposition party, warned that Boris Johnson’s move signals that the pandemic is “all over” and accused him of “announcing victory before the battle is won.”
“A sudden change, such as an end to testing and isolation, has the scope to lead to a return to rapid epidemic growth,” the New and Emerging Virus Threats Advisory Group advised, as quoted by AP.
“This is not the time to take risks. We need to operate in an evidence-based and incremental way,” Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, an umbrella group for state-funded health authorities in Britain, said, AP reported.
Boris Johnson’s Conservative government has already lifted most COVID-related restrictions in England. By the end of January, Downing Street had revoked vaccine passports for venues and masking mandates except for hospitals. Following England’s lead, neighboring European countries like Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland have reduced their COVID-related restrictions as well, though at a slower pace.
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