LONDON • Britain's government yesterday confirmed it will press ahead with "Freedom Day" next week by lifting most Covid-19 pandemic curbs in England, but urged caution as experts warned that politicians were moving too fast.
"We firmly believe this is the time to get our nation closer to normal life, so we will move to the next step of our roadmap on July 19," Health Secretary Sajid Javid told Parliament.
He said the government's four tests have been met to allow a full reopening of the economy next Monday, doing away with a months-old lockdown.
Key to the plan is getting enough of the population vaccinated, and ensuring the National Health Service can cope with Britain now averaging more than 30,000 daily cases of the fast-spreading Delta coronavirus variant.
Scientists are fretting that the ending of measures such as mandatory mask-wearing and social distancing spells trouble, and said guidance such as working from home should stay in place.
Nightclubs and other venues will be allowed to reopen, with patrons "expected" but not obliged to show a negative Covid-19 test.
The government expects people to wear masks on public transport and in enclosed spaces, but businesses will no longer enjoy legal backing to enforce the rule.
Mr Javid conceded anew that the caseload could reach 100,000 a day in the coming months, but stressed that with two-thirds of the adult population fully jabbed, the link to hospitalisations and deaths was "severely weakened".
"We will stay vigilant and keep a very close eye on the data as well as on the impact of long Covid," he said, referring to a set of protracted after-effects being suffered by many.
The government's decision to allow more than 60,000 football fans to attend Sunday's European Championship final between England and Italy has added to experts' fears, after near-total flouting of distancing rules.
But Prime Minister Boris Johnson insists the time is right to move from legally enforced rules to personal responsibility, and use the summer to prepare for a potentially more damaging wave of Covid-19 in the winter. "We are tantalisingly close to the final milestone in our roadmap out of lockdown, but the plan to restore our freedoms must come with a warning," he said in remarks ahead of the announcement.
Dr Sarah Clarke, a board member of the UK's Faculty of Intensive Care Medicine, said there had been a 60 per cent increase in intensive care admissions in the past week.
"I would absolutely err on the side of extreme caution," she told Times Radio about the government's plan. "Keeping the public safe is not sustainable if we all decide to take our masks off and think that the vaccine programme no longer applies."
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
