Boris Johnson scraps England’s coronavirus rules, seeks shift to ‘personal responsibility’
- Those with Covid-19 will no longer have to self-isolate, and free PCR tests will be available only to older people and the immune-compromised
- The move comes despite warnings from scientists that ending restrictions could weaken the country’s ability to monitor and track the virus
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Monday that he is scrapping of the last domestic coronavirus restrictions in England, including the requirement for people with Covid-19 to self-isolate.
Johnson said the country was “moving from government restrictions to personal responsibility” as part of a plan for treating Covid-19 like other transmissible illnesses such as flu.
“We now have sufficient levels of immunity to complete the transition from protecting people with government interventions to relying on vaccines and treatments as the first line of defence,” Johnson said.
Despite warnings from scientists that ending restrictions could weaken the country’s ability to monitor and track coronavirus, Johnson confirmed that mandatory self-isolation for people with Covid-19 will end starting on Thursday, and the routine tracing of infected people’s contacts will stop.
People will still be advised to stay home if they are sick – but will no longer get extra financial support introduced during the pandemic for those who miss work.