What will happen after Covid rules are scrapped in England?
Peter Walker - Political correspondent, The GuardianWhat changes will mean for isolation and travel, and why Boris Johnson may be lifting restrictions early
A positive lateral flow test. Photograph: Aaron Chown/PAAll remaining domestic Covid legal restrictions in England are likely to be scrapped later this month, Boris Johnson
has announced.
Here is what we know – and what is yet to be set out:
What is happening and when?
As first
set out by Johnson in a brief statement at the start of prime minister’s questions all domestic rules, including the requirement for people with Covid to self-isolate, are expected to end later this month. Johnson said he would set out the new strategy when parliament returns from recess, on 21 February. The changes are likely to come into force on 24 February.
Did we know this was going to happen?
Yes and no. When the government
announced the end of so-called plan B Covid restrictions, for example on mask use, in January, it said the expectation was all domestic rules would end when relevant regulations lapsed on 24 March. Johnson has reinforced this intention and brought the timetable forward by a month.
So what happens if you get Covid?
You will still be expected to isolate, rather than struggle into work, coughing over fellow commuters and colleagues. However, this will be guidance rather than, as is currently the case, a law backed up with fines reaching a maximum of £10,000. The new guidance will be set out before the rules change, and it remains to be seen how strongly worded it is – and whether employers will be sympathetic.
Will there be financial support to isolate?
At the moment, people on lower incomes obliged to self-isolate are eligible for a £500 payment. It is not known if this will stay in place with the voluntary regime. The TUC has warned that people should be given proper sick pay and not be forced to work.
Will there still be free testing?
The testing system – no charge for instant lateral flow tests from pharmacies or sent via post, or for PCR tests at walk-in centres – will stay in place for now. It is a hugely expensive operation, and the expectation is that this will not be the case in the long term.
What about travel restrictions?
Many of these have now gone, but it is likely that some will remain, for example people arriving in the UK needing to fill in a passenger locator form, and quarantine for people who are not vaccinated. More information will come in the new guidance post-recess.
Is this just for England?
Yes, it is, as health policy is devolved across UK nations. Over time, restrictions have tended to be similar, but
England has in recent months tended to move first in easing rules.
Is there a public health case for this?
There is certainly a longstanding view in public health that at some point Covid must be treated not as an emergency pandemic but a longer-term fact of life, which is mitigated in ways that allow everyday life to carry on. Downing Street has said it wants the virus to be seen as “endemic”, but with 60,000-plus confirmed cases a day, and the possibility of yet more variants, this is not something that can be simply willed. There is a suspicion that the advance of the timetable is connected to Johnson’s desire to please his mutinous backbenchers.
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