�LONDON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 21st February, 2022) UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is set to unveil on Monday his "living with COVID plan" amid criticism from the opposition, unions and medical sectors which fear that the lifting of all restrictions, including the legal self-isolation requirement and the scrapping of free tests, could lead to another wave of the pandemic.
In a statement released by his office on Sunday, Johnson claimed that although the pandemic is not over, the United Kingdom was "one step closer towards a return to normality" thanks to the "incredible vaccine rollout."
However, TUC, Unite, Unison and other unions urged the prime minister to reconsider his decision as his plan could lead to chaos in schools and workplaces.
"If the remaining safety rules are axed, schools will be left in an impossible situation, with parents unsure about whether to send their children into school, transmission rates soaring and new, more potent variants emerging," they warned in a joint statement.
Labour lawmaker and shadow minister for Africa and International Development Stephen Doughty also criticized the government' s plan, claiming that this is the wrong time to scrap free test and be rolling back on the restrictions on self-isolation.
"I think the government again is driven by the headlines rather than what's the best advise here," the opposition politician told Sky News broadcaster.
An emergency medicine doctor also questioned Johnson's "rush" in bringing forward by about a month the new COVID-19 plan.
"There are measures that we need to put in place to properly live with COVID," doctor Saleyha Ahsan told Sky News.
Johnson is expected to update Parliament on the plans on Monday afternoon before holding a televised news conference to reveal details to the public in the evening.
