UK set to remove final COVID curbs, despite Delta variant surge

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to announce a further relaxation in coronavirus restrictions in England later on Monday, despite a surge in daily cases linked to the Delta variant, saying people must learn to live with the virus and “exercise judgment” as they go about their daily lives.

Johnson is expected to move ahead with the final stage of the four-step plan out of lockdown and “restore people’s freedoms” when he speaks at a news conference on Monday. Step four, which is scheduled to come into effect on July 19, will mean the removal of mask-wearing rules, the end of social distancing, and the return of large-scale events.

Johnson said “Thanks to the successful rollout of our vaccination program, we are progressing cautiously through our roadmap,” Johnson said in a statement ahead of the announcement on Sunday. “Today we will set out how we can restore people’s freedoms when we reach step 4.

“But I must stress that the pandemic is not over and that cases will continue to rise over the coming weeks. As we begin to learn to live with this virus, we must all continue to carefully manage the risks from COVID and exercise judgment when going about our lives.” 

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