PM Johnson to lift Covid restrictions in England day after Queen tests positive

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is due to lay out his "living with COVID" plan on Monday – scrapping coronavirus restrictions and cutting access to free tests – although there were 11th-hour objections that it was premature and would leave the country vulnerable to new viral variants.

Scientists are warning the British government not to weaken the country's ability to monitor and track the coronavirus when Prime Minister Boris Johnson ends the requirement on 21 February for people in England to self-isolate if they contract Covid-19. AP - Matt Dunham

As Hong Kong builds isolation units and Europe retains social distancing and vaccine rules, Johnson is moving to repeal in England any pandemic requirements that impinge on personal freedoms, such as self-isolating after a positive Covid test.

Just a day after Queen Elizabeth tested positive for the virus, Johnson was expected to drop legal requirements to self-isolate and replace them with voluntary guidance, bringing Covid-19 into line with how Britain treats most other infections.

The government is also expected to reduce access to free tests, a move that has been blasted by scientists after mass testing helped Britain to spot new variants during the pandemic.

Johnson has said he does not want people to "throw caution to the wind" but the high vaccination rate in England –where 81 percent of  adults have had booster shots – means the government wants to move from state mandation to encouraging personal responsibility, a big priority for Conservative lawmakers. 

Opposition

But the plan, geared to help deflect discontent over Johnson's scandal-ridden leadership among lawmakers in his Conservative Party, ran into difficulty just hours before he was due to launch it.

The leaders of Scotland and Wales – both sharply critical of Johnson's rule – said the policy would make it harder to tackle new coronavirus variants in a timely way, heightening risks to the public.

"Testing has played a pivotal role in breaking chains of transmission and as a surveillance tool helping us detect and respond to emerging variants," Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford said on Twitter. "It's essential that this continues."

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It is not yet clear if the new rules will apply to England or all of the United Kingdom, but the first minister of Scotland also made clear that she did not agree with the plan.

"To allow significant dismantling of the testing infrastructure built up in last 2 years would be inexcusable negligence given ongoing risks," First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said on Twitter.

The devolved administrations of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have set their own Covid restrictions.

Medical leaders have urged Johnson not to be "gung-ho" with the nation's health, and government advisers have said that dropping restrictions could lead to rapid epidemic growth.

(with newswires)