As the number of Covid-19 cases soars in the country, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced an end to mask wearing and social distancing in England in two weeks.
The head of government explained that he intended to lift most of the latest health measures related to Covid-19 on July 19.
The government must, however, confirm this decision on July 12.
Regarding the end of the compulsory wearing of the mask, against which scientists and doctors have protested, Boris Johnson explained that he wanted to "move away from legal restrictions and allow people to make their own informed decisions on how to deal with the virus" .
The conservative leader, however, called to "remain cautious", indicating that he himself would wear a mask in crowded places.
Sketching a return to some form of normality, Boris Johnson announced that teleworking would no longer be recommended, that performance halls and stadiums could open at full capacity, and discos could once again accommodate audiences.
Over 25,000 new cases per day
Initially scheduled for June 21, the lifting of the last restrictions had been postponed by one month, to July 19, due to the outbreak of the Delta variant, which is much more contagious.
This variant, initially detected in India, now represents almost all new cases in the United Kingdom, where daily contaminations have approached 30,000 in recent days.
The number of daily cases in the UK crosses the 25,000 mark (on average over the past week).
There were 2,500 a month and a half ago.
1/4 # Covid19 pic.twitter.com/PPW4VSu6wi
- Nicolas Berrod (@nicolasberrod) July 5, 2021
According to Downing Street, the latest data indicates that contaminations will continue to rise as restrictions are lifted "but the link to hospitalizations and deaths is weakened" thanks to vaccination.
The government estimates that by July 19, two-thirds of adults will be fully vaccinated against Covid-19.
To speed up the vaccination campaign, Boris Johnson announced on Monday that the interval for those under 40 between vaccine doses would be reduced from 12 to 8 weeks.
Started at the beginning of December, this campaign has already made it possible to administer two doses to nearly 64% of the adult population and one dose to 86%.
Towards the next "variant factories"?
The strategy adopted by the government continues to divide scientists.
For Professor Susan Michie, a behavior specialist at University College London, the choice to let the contaminations slip away is like "building new 'variant factories' at a very high rate."
For its part, the British Medical Association called on the government to keep certain restrictions in place due to the "alarming" increase in the number of cases.
Read also End of deconfinement shifted: how England got there
The Unite union, which represents tens of thousands of employees in public transport, demanded on Monday that the wearing of masks remain compulsory. In the United Kingdom, each province decides on its own timetable in the face of the health crisis. Scotland, Wales and Ireland have opted for slower lifting of restrictions.
