RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – As announced in mid-January, the UK is leaving the Covid era behind.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson told Parliament on Monday that the remaining Covid 19 restrictions in England will be lifted, stressing that it is time to move on from the coronavirus and learn to live with it.
He announced that starting Thursday, people living in England will no longer have to isolate themselves if they test positive for Covid-19. The relaxation is the latest lifting of the coronavirus restriction in place.
Johnson called the decision a shift from “government restrictions to personal responsibility.”
Covid-19 testing will no longer be free starting in April, and only people over 80 will be able to get the kits for free. Johnson had said in January that the cost of the test kits to the government was £2 billion, a figure he said was unsustainable.
Johnson said it was time to reduce the testing operation, noting that it was costing the government more than the entire Home Office budget in 2021/2022.
However, the prime minister also announced a booster vaccination campaign that will begin in the spring and be open to the most vulnerable people in the community.
In addition, payments for self-isolation and routine contact tracing will be discontinued.
In a press release before the announcement, Johnson said it was a proud moment to lift the restrictions.
“The pandemic is not over, but thanks to the incredible implementation of the vaccine, we are now one step closer to returning to normalcy and finally giving people back their freedoms while we continue to protect ourselves and each other,” he said.