With the official announcement being made this Monday that the end of lockdown measures is upon us, thoughts now turn to what new freedoms we will now be allowed.
The simple answer is likely all of them.
Almost every current rule implemented, such as limits on groups meeting, the use of face masks, personal contact, and the use of social distancing in public spaces will all be lifted in this final step back on the road to near normality.
Instead of having a legal and governmental authority to manage the public response to the pandemic, citizens are now advised to use their own personal judgement to evaluate the risks of infection and act accordingly.
This is all part of what Boris Johnson has called ‘learning to live with the virus’, urging caution to avoid ill-advised large gatherings and to emphasise that Covid-19 is still very much a threat to the nation.
The main restrictions that are set to lift include:
- The removal of the ‘one metre’ guidance in the majority of settings, with the exception of such major public hubs as airports
- The end of laws demanding face mask usage in public spaces such as shops, restaurants and public transport
- No more capacity restrictions on large events such as sports stadiums and performances
- Social contact is now limitless, with groups of any number allowed
- Care home resident restrictions will end
- Working from home is no longer advised
The bubbling of schools, colleges and other educational facilities will also end with universities also returning to normal.
Government guidance has also indicated that the proposed Covid ‘passport’ scheme to allow vaccination status to be proven in public spaces has not been continued, however double jabbed people may now no longer be expected to self-isolate after contact with an infected person.
Those fully vaccinated are also set to be prioritised with the removal of the need to isolate following a return from a country placed on the government’s ‘amber’ list.
However, some rules will be staying in place beyond the 19th July exit date.
One metre distancing will still be required in airports to avoid different destinations mixing, infection control will still be required for vulnerable citizens such as those in care homes, and legally all those who test positive for Coronavirus will still be required to isolate for the current 10-day period.
The complete final decision is not due to formally take place until this coming Monday, 12th July, following a complete review of the data and when the tests and thresholds for removing restrictions have been met.
The current expectation based upon the current information is that this process will merely be a formality, and only a very serious and immediate change in the threat level would derail the current outlined procedure.
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