“We do not need to pay that cost any longer,” said the PM.
QUICK FACTS:
- U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the ending of all COVID restrictions in England today, Sky News reports.
- From Thursday on, people who have the virus will no longer be legally required to self-isolate, though they will still be advised to stay at home, Johnson told the House of Commons on Monday, according to Bloomberg.
- “Restrictions pose a heavy toll on our economy, our society, our mental well-being,” Johnson said. “We do not need to pay that cost any longer.”
- The PM said we must “learn to live with the virus,” adding “It is time that we got our confidence back.”
- The universal and free availability of coronavirus testing will end April 1.
WATCH:
BACKGROUND:
- Boris Johnson’s confirmation that coronavirus rules will end in England means the U.K. is the first major Western economy to scrap government restrictions relating to the pandemic, Bloomberg notes.
- Johnson’s spokesman, Max Blain, said the Department of Health had received no additional funding as part of the announcement, and the prime minister told Parliament the “vast cost” of the testing program needed to be scaled back.
