Status: 02/21/2022 11:32 a.m
In England, the last corona measures are apparently also to be dropped – such as the obligation to isolate. Experts warn of a “worldwide domino effect”. The opposition believes that Prime Minister Johnson only wants to distract from “Partygate”.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced the abolition of the last corona measures in England. “The pandemic isn’t over yet, but thanks to the incredible vaccination campaign, we’re one step closer to returning to normality and finally giving people their freedom back,” Johnson said.
Johnson wants to explain plans later today
Johnson wants to present his concrete strategy for “living with Corona” in Parliament later today – probably in the afternoon. His government, which is responsible for the corona measures in England, had already abolished most restrictions, such as the obligation to wear a mask, at the end of January. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland decide independently about their corona measures and often take a slightly more cautious approach than England.
NHS criticism: ‘Government can’t wave a wand’
In England, as one of the last protective measures, the obligation to isolate at home after a positive corona test is expected to be abolished this week. The government also wants to reduce the free test offers.
Health experts and the opposition criticized the abolition of protective measures as premature. The majority of the heads of the NHS state health service reject the abolition of the obligation to isolate and free tests, as the chairman of the NHS Confederation, Matthew Taylor, explained. Thanks to vaccinations and new corona drugs, there is now “real hope,” said Taylor. “But the government cannot wave a magic wand and pretend the threat is completely gone.”
WHO: Abolition of the obligation to isolate “very unwise”
The Corona representative of the World Health Organization (WHO), David Nabarrro, criticized the abolition of the obligation to isolate as “very unwise”. Nabarro told the BBC that he was “really concerned” that Britain could trigger a global “domino effect” by deviating from the scientific consensus.
Opposition: Johnson wants to distract from “Partygate”.
The opposition Labor Party is particularly concerned about the end of free testing. However, she also accuses the British government of wanting to distract from the affair of lockdown parties at the seat of government in Downing Street, which repeatedly makes headlines as “Partygate”, by abolishing the last protective measures. “Boris Johnson is declaring victory before the war is over to distract from police knocking on his door,” said Labor Health spokesman Wes Streeting.
The UK is one of the worst-hit countries in Europe by the pandemic, with more than 158,000 deaths. Although the number of new infections is still high, the infection and hospitalization rate has fallen sharply since the beginning of the year. Buckingham Palace announced on Sunday that Queen Elizabeth II (95) had tested positive for the virus.