Coronavirus: England to end mask rules; Israel reports Pfizer vaccine concerns
- UK PM Boris Johnson says restrictions to ease in England, UK must live with Covid-19
- Israel data suggests Pfizer vaccine appears less effective in halting spread of Delta strain
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson revealed plans to lift most of England’s coronavirus restrictions, including face masks and social distancing from July 19, urging personal responsibility rather than government edict.
His announcement on Monday came as experts in Israel, which led the way in vaccination, expressed concern that the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine widely used there might be less effective against the dangerous Delta variant.
Last month, Johnson was forced to postpone plans for a full reopening on June 21 because of a surge in the highly contagious Delta variant, which now accounts for nearly all new British cases.
But mass vaccinations have stopped that translating into surge in hospital admissions or deaths.
“This pandemic is far from over,” said Johnson. “It certainly won’t be over by the 19th.
“We must reconcile ourselves, sadly, to more deaths from Covid.”
But the effectiveness of the vaccination campaign in the UK meant that they could go ahead with easing restrictions, he said.