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
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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.
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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.
Face masks will be made voluntary in all settings and the government will no longer instruct people to work from home, in a decisive shift from legal requirements to personal responsibility. All remaining businesses will be allowed to open, including nightclubs, and none will be required to demand any proof of vaccination or testing before entry.
“We will move away from legal restrictions and allow people to make their own informed decisions,” Johnson said.
Johnson’s announcement only applies to England, as health matters are devolved to the UK’s constituent nations. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are lifting their restrictions more slowly.
Experts in Israel expressed concern that rising cases there suggested the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine might be less effective in preventing mild illness.
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The Israeli health ministry said that their analysis suggested the vaccine’s efficacy had dropped to 64 per cent during the time the Delta variant had spread across the country.
But it was still 93 per cent effective in reducing serious Covid-19 illness and hospitalisations, it added.
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett warned on Sunday that “with the Delta variant running amok”, Israel might have to reintroduce some of the restrictions it lifted last month.
While the richer countries have benefited from mass vaccination roll-outs, other parts of the world are struggling.
Africa has suffered a record number of coronavirus cases over the past week, registering over 36,000 new infections per day, according to an AFP count based on official figures.
South Africa is the worst-hit country in Africa, with new daily infections hitting record highs of 26,000 cases over the weekend, fuelled by the Delta variant.
Part of the problem is that African countries are suffering from a crippling shortage of vaccines.
According to the AFP count, just 3.66 vaccine doses have been administered for every 100 Africans. The corresponding figure in the US and Canada is 100.26, while in Europe it stands at 68.3.
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“We’ve gained the upper hand against this virus,” he said.
But, he added, “Don’t get me wrong: Covid-19 has not been vanquished. We all know powerful variants have emerged, like the Delta variant.”
With more than 605,000 deaths, the United States has lost more people to the virus than any other country.
Additional reporting by Bloomberg and Associated Press
