SET FREE
Boris Johnson heralds final freedom from Covid restrictions ‘in just DAYS’ as he calls on Brits to ‘get back to work’
BORIS Johnson today heralded the final push to freedom as the PM readies to end Covid restrictions in just days.
The Prime Minister is tomorrow expected to announce the end to self-isolation rules - today confirming with Covid testing will also be done at "much lower levels".
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Free lateral flow and PCR Covid tests are set to also finish shortly in a timetable the PM is due to set out in an announcement on Monday.
However free tests are likely to still remain available for the more vulnerable including the elderly.
And speaking on BBC One's Sunday Morning Programme, the PM said he wanted people to be "much more confident" to get back to work and normal life.
He said: "I'm not saying you can totally throw caution to the winds, Covid remains dangerous if you're vulnerable and if you're not vaccinated, but we need people to be much more confident and get back to work."
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Boris added: "We've reached a stage where we think you can shift the balance away from state mandation, away from banning certain courses of action, compelling certain courses of action, in favour of encouraging personal responsibility.
"I do want to see our country really getting back on its feet.";
England's 'Freedom Day' when all Covid restrictions will come to an end will happen on Thursday, the has reported.
The PM will lay out his "living with Covid" plan on Monday, where he is set to confirm the repeal of all of England's pandemic regulations.
He is expected to say that the vaccination programme, testing, and other new treatments such as anti-viral drugs will keep people safe - while infectious people will no longer be made to stay at home.
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But he warned the country would not hesitate to act if Covid continued to rise.
He said: "I want to make sure that we have capability to spot stuff and to snap back up as fast as we need to."
Asked how Covid will be spotted without testing, the PM said: "We will be testing at a much lower level."
He added that cases were coming down, along with hospital patients being treated for Covid and ICU cases.
Covid cases are the lowest they've been in six months, with a total of 25,696 Brits testing positive in the last 24 hours, as well as the daily Covid death toll hitting 74.
We need people to be much more confident and get back to work
Boris Johnson
However concerns have been raised with Dr Chaand Nagpaul, chair of the Council of the BMA, told BBC News: "I think the right time is when the first leap of faith is supported.
"You have at the moment more people dying, more people in the hospital, than you had before plan B was introduced."
Around 85% of Brits have been double-vaccinated, with 38 million booster jabs given as well.
It comes after Wales dropped several Covid restrictions on Friday, including requiring a Covid pass to get into cinemas, nightclubs and theatres.
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From the 28th, it will no longer be necessary to wear a face mask in some public places in Wales.
Meanwhile, the Scottish government has extended its Covid powers for a further six months, with deputy first minister John Swinney insisting it was "necessary to retain the availability of these baseline measures while we review our ongoing response to Covid".
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