Boris Johnson will lift almost all legal Covid restrictions from July 19 under a ‘freedom plan’ to be published next week.
The Prime Minister all but confirmed yesterday that he will give the green light for reopening mid-month as he underlined the success of the vaccine programme.
‘It looks ever clearer ... the speed of that vaccine rollout has broken that link between infection and mortality and that’s an amazing thing,’ he said. ‘That gives us the scope, we think on the 19th to go ahead, cautiously, irreversibly.’
Mr Johnson added that Britain was now in the ‘final furlong’ of the lockdown. But, with cases still surging, he warned that some ‘extra precautions’ may need to remain in place after so-called ‘Freedom Day’ on July 19.
Last night it was claimed that health officials have drawn up contingency plans involving possible Covid restrictions for the next five winters.
Conservative MP Steve Baker welcomed the plan to lift restrictions from July 19 – but warned they must not be brought back in the coming months.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson all but confirmed yesterday that he will give the green light for reopening mid-month as he underlined the success of the vaccine programme
Mr Baker, deputy chairman of the Covid Recovery Group of Tory MPs, said: ‘Ministers are giving me every indication that I am going to be happy on July 19.
'That is great – there is nothing I would like more than to see restrictions lifted this summer so that we can all make a fresh start this autumn.
‘The trouble is that I fear I won’t be happy in the autumn and winter when the health lobby pushes for further lockdowns in order to manage capacity in the NHS.
'We cannot have our freedoms sacrificed – and I include the freedom to make a living – to manage numbers on waiting lists and in hospitals.’
A final decision on lifting restrictions will not be made until July 12, but government sources said the plan will be published next week to give business and individuals more time to adjust.
Businesses such as nightclubs, which have been forced to close throughout the pandemic, will finally be allowed to reopen under the final tranche of easing on the delayed 'Freedom Day' of July 19
Formal guidance to work from home where possible is set to be scrapped. But some scientists are urging the PM not to encourage a rapid return to the workplace for the millions who have spent much of the pandemic working from home
Ministers are increasingly confident that he will end the legal requirement to wear face masks in shops, although they may still be required when visiting hospitals and care homes
The situation on public transport is still undecided, with the PM wanting to make masks voluntary, but London Mayor Sadiq Khan pressing for them to remain compulsory
The PM has prioritised scrapping the one-metre rule, along with the rule of six on indoor socialising, which are seen as the biggest brakes on the economy.
Rules limiting outdoor gatherings to no more than 30 will also go, and businesses such as nightclubs, which have been forced to close throughout the pandemic, will finally be allowed to reopen.
Ministers have also shelved plans to legally require people to use vaccine passports to control entry to mass events, although organisers will be permitted to set their own requirements for ticket-holders.
No10 declined to comment on what ‘extra precautions’ the PM is planning to retain, although they are certain to include the onerous rules about self-isolation for those who come into contact with an infected person.
But ministers are increasingly confident that he will end the legal requirement to wear face masks in shops, although they may still be required when visiting hospitals and care homes.
The situation on public transport is
