By Ben Kerrigan-
Boris Johnson is due to set out his plans to scrap all remaining Covid legal restrictions in England, including the requirement to isolate.
Boris Johnson is to be joined by chief medical officer Sir Chris Whitty and chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance at a press conference late this afternoon to discuss the government’s plan for “living with Covid”, Downing Street has said.
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The presence of the scientists at the Downing Street briefing provides confirmation that Whitty and Vallance have agreed to the overall relaxed plans, including the lifting of the legal requirement to isolate after a positive test for coronavirus.
There are reports of tensions between the Treasury and the Department of Health over how parts of the plan will be funded .Speaking before Monday’s announcement, Mr Johnson said his plan would bring society “towards a return to normality”.
No 10 said the Covid vaccination programme had put England in a “strong position to consider lifting the remaining legal restrictions”.
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It added that the plan for living with Covid would take a “cautious approach” retaining “some surveillance systems and plans for contingency measures”.
The legal requirement to self-isolate for a fixed period after testing positive in England has been in place ever since mass testing was rolled out.
Currently positive or asymptomatic people have to isolate for up to 10 days, but can end their isolation earlier if they register negative lateral flow tests on both days five and six.
Mr Johnson has said that Covid testing would take place at a “much lower level” after revealing £2bn was spent on the system in January alone. Under the new plan, Community PCR testing for people with symptoms is expected to stop under the new plan, but it is unclear whether the availability of free lateral flow tests will be reduced.
Downing Street also explained the delay in the prime minister’s meeting scheduled for this morning with the cabinet before his Commons statement to have been because the PM needed to be briefed on other matters.
He added: “But some other sources in government are suggesting that there’s ongoing tensions with the Department of Health because today was the day the ‘living with Covid’ strategy was to be unveiled.”
On the issue of changes to testing arrangements, a Welsh government spokesperson said any decision to alter them “would be premature and reckless”. Underlining the controversial decision was a joint lettter from Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, Wales’ First Minister Mark Drakeford and Northern Ireland’s Health Minister Robin Swann warning of the need to keep existing testing in place.
Mass PCR testing in the community is almost certain to go. But these gold standard tests will be kept in hospitals to diagnose patients who are seriously ill and to keep an eye out on variants.
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