UK Health Minister Sajid Javid confirmed on Monday that England's final COVID-19 restrictions will be lifted on July 19 as part of the government's roadmap out of the lockdown, despite a recent surge in coronavirus cases across the United Kingdom
LONDON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 12th July, 2021) UK Health Minister Sajid Javid confirmed on Monday that England's final COVID-19 restrictions will be lifted on July 19 as part of the government's roadmap out of the lockdown, despite a recent surge in coronavirus cases across the United Kingdom.
"We have looked closely at the data ... and we firmly believe that this is the right time to get our nation closer to normal life. So we will move to the next stage on our roadmap on July 19," Javid told Parliament.
After stressing that there will never be a perfect time to take this step, "because we simply cannot eradicate this virus," Javid claimed that if the so-called 'Freedom Day' is delayed any longer, there would be risk of not opening up at all.
As part of Step Four out of the lockdown, from next Monday there will be no limits on the number of people allowed to gather indoors or outdoors, and the one-meter rule for social distancing as well as the capacity caps on large sports and cultural events will be lifted.
Nightclubs and all remaining businesses will also be allowed to re-open; wearing face masks will no longer be compulsory in shops and public transport; and there will be no limits on the number of visitors to care home residences.
According to Javid, the successful vaccination campaign will allow to build a protection wall against COVID-19 and the new variants, particularly the Delta strains first identified in India.
"We believe this wall means we can withstand a summer wave. And while the wall would be higher still in winter, we know the wave would be much more dangerous," he said, urging people to act responsibly and cover their faces in crowded places such as public transport.
Reacting to the health minister Javid's statement in the House of Commons, his Labour counterpart in the shadow cabinet, Jonathan Ashworth, said that the government is taking a high-risk approach that could lead to thousands of more people suffering from long COVID-19 symptoms.
"Instead of caution, he is pushing his foot down on the accelerator while throwing his seatbelt off," the opposition lawmaker said.
COVID-19 cases have doubled in the UK over the past 11 days, and on Monday 34,471 new cases and another six deaths were recorded, but Javid told Parliament that there could be 100,000 cases a day by the summer.
So far, 34,8 million people, equivalent to 66.2% of the country's adult population, have been fully vaccinated.
