UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said his “living with Covid” plan will bring the country “towards a return to normality” as he intends to scrap the requirement to self-isolate in England after a positive Covid-19 test.
Mr Johnson was due to meet his Cabinet on Monday morning to discuss the plan before updating MPs in the House of Commons on his blueprint for moving out of the pandemic.
He said the proposal would be about “finally giving people back their freedom” after “one of the most difficult periods in our country’s history”.
Mr Johnson is expected to set out a timetable for reducing the availability of free coronavirus tests, although older and vulnerable people will continue to have access to them.
Business Minister Paul Scully suggested the government could stop providing free coronavirus tests, as the £2 billion a month could be better used elsewhere.
Mr Scully told Sky News “we can’t continue for evermore spending £2bn a month on tests”.
“If you think what that £2bn might go towards, there’s a lot of other backlogs in the NHS, other illnesses in the NHS, that that money could otherwise go for,” he said.
“So for every person that is worried about a test, there may be another person that’s worried about a cancer diagnosis, for instance.”
Devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland control their own coronavirus policies.
Under Mr Johnson's new Covid plan, the rule which legally requires a person to self-isolate after testing positive for the virus could be done away with by the end of the week.
Asked about a possible lifting of the rule, Mr Scully said it would be down to employers and employees to make decisions over self-isolating.
“I would say that it’s like any illness, frankly, any transmissible illness that you would say stay at home,” he said.
He said if an employee had flu, they would be expected to stay at home, “but it’ll be down to themselves or down to their employer”.
Mr Scully said the public should not “work and live under government diktat for a moment longer than is necessary”, and that a change in rules is important to open the door to an economic recovery and to “allow people to get back to a sense of normality, whilst keeping people safe, clearly”.
Professor Andrew Pollard, director of the Oxford Vaccine Group, said whenever restrictions are eased it is “critical” to have a surveillance system in place to monitor emerging variants.
Asked about the continuing role vaccines are likely to have in the UK’s battle against the virus, he cast doubt on the need for a fourth dose for the majority of the population.
Prof Pollard suggested an extra booster may be offered to vulnerable and elderly people who are most at risk of severe illness from Covid.
“As far as whether we need [vaccines] for the whole population, I don’t think that’s likely to be the future for the whole population to get regular doses,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
“But we are identifying those in society who are particularly vulnerable to the virus and it’s certainly reasonable to think that further doses may be needed to maintain immunity in those who are at greatest risk of ending up in hospital.”
The UK was one of the worst-hit European nations during the first wave of coronavirus in the spring of 2020 and the number of people having Covid-19 on their death certificates has risen to more than 183,000, according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics.
On Sunday, Buckingham Palace announced that Queen Elizabeth II had tested positive for Covid. The monarch is experiencing mild symptoms and will continue to do light work.
Downing Street said the vaccination programme had left England in a “strong position to consider lifting the remaining legal restrictions”, with more than 81 per cent of adults having received a booster dose, and cases continuing to fall.
“Today will mark a moment of pride after one of the most difficult periods in our country’s history as we begin to learn to live with Covid,” Mr Johnson said before his announcement on Monday.
“It would not be possible without the efforts of so many — the NHS who delivered the life-saving vaccine rollout at phenomenal speed, our world-leading scientists and experts, and the general public for their commitment to protecting themselves and their loved ones.
“The pandemic is not over, but thanks to the incredible vaccine rollout we are now one step closer towards a return to normality and finally giving people back their freedoms, while continuing to protect ourselves and others.”
Mr Johnson said that Britain was in a “different world” after coming out of the Omicron variant wave, with the number of patients in intensive care “way down”.
The latest UK government data shows that as of Sunday there were 11,555 people are in hospital with Covid, 331 of whom were on ventilators.
Mr Johnson said the latest data meant it was time for the UK to shift the balance away from “state mandation” and towards “personal responsibility”.
In comments made in Munich on Saturday, he said it was “important that people should feel confident again” and that he wanted to “see our country really getting back on its feet” after the pandemic.
But Mr Johnson refused to rule out more lockdowns should future mutations not prove to be as mild as predicted, saying he would have to be “humble in the face of nature”.
He and about 50 officials are under police investigation after claims that lockdown-breaking parties were held in Number 10 Downing Street.
After his statement to the House of Commons, the Conservative Party leader is expected to give a public briefing in the evening.
Downing Street said the plan for living with Covid-19 would be “vaccine-led”, with the programme remaining open to those who have not yet had a shot.
But the Mail on Sunday reported that passenger locator forms were likely to continue to be required for travellers until the spring.
Plan B measures designed to slow the spread of Omicron, such as the requirement to wear masks in public places and the use of Covid passes for large events, were abolished in England last month.
Who has lived at The Bishops Avenue?
- George Sainsbury of the supermarket dynasty, sugar magnate William Park Lyle and actress Dame Gracie Fields were residents in the 1930s when the street was only known as ‘Millionaires’ Row’.
- Then came the international super rich, including the last king of Greece, Constantine II, the Sultan of Brunei and Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal who was at one point ranked the third richest person in the world.
- Turkish tycoon Halis Torprak sold his mansion for £50m in 2008 after spending just two days there. The House of Saud sold 10 properties on the road in 2013 for almost £80m.
- Other residents have included Iraqi businessman Nemir Kirdar, singer Ariana Grande, holiday camp impresario Sir Billy Butlin, businessman Asil Nadir, Paul McCartney’s former wife Heather Mills.
Hunting park to luxury living
- Land was originally the Bishop of London's hunting park, hence the name
- The road was laid out in the mid 19th Century, meandering through woodland and farmland
- Its earliest houses at the turn of the 20th Century were substantial detached properties with extensive grounds
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Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
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Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Available: Now
Globalization and its Discontents Revisited
Joseph E. Stiglitz
W. W. Norton & Company
Wicked: For Good
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater
Rating: 4/5
RESULTS
Argentina 4 Haiti 0
Peru 2 Scotland 0
Panama 0 Northern Ireland 0
Getting there
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly to Johannesburg or Cape Town daily. Flights cost from about Dh3,325, with a flying time of 8hours and 15 minutes. From there, fly South African Airlines or Air Namibia to Namibia’s Windhoek Hosea Kutako International Airport, for about Dh850. Flying time is 2 hours.
The stay
Wilderness Little Kulala offers stays from £460 (Dh2,135) per person, per night. It is one of seven Wilderness Safari lodges in Namibia; www.wilderness-safaris.com.
Skeleton Coast Safaris’ four-day adventure involves joining a very small group in a private plane, flying to some of the remotest areas in the world, with each night spent at a different camp. It costs from US$8,335.30 (Dh30,611); www.skeletoncoastsafaris.com
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Fixtures
Sunday, December 8, Sharjah Cricket Stadium – UAE v USA
Monday, December 9, Sharjah Cricket Stadium – USA v Scotland
Wednesday, December 11, Sharjah Cricket Stadium – UAE v Scotland
Thursday, December 12, ICC Academy, Dubai – UAE v USA
Saturday, December 14, ICC Academy, Dubai – USA v Scotland
Sunday, December 15, ICC Academy, Dubai – UAE v Scotland
Note: All matches start at 10am, admission is free
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Power: 258hp from 5,000-6,500rpm
Torque: 400Nm from 1,550-4,000rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.1L/100km
Price: from Dh362,500
On sale: now
How tumultuous protests grew
- A fuel tax protest by French drivers appealed to wider anti-government sentiment
- Unlike previous French demonstrations there was no trade union or organised movement involved
- Demonstrators responded to online petitions and flooded squares to block traffic
- At its height there were almost 300,000 on the streets in support
- Named after the high visibility jackets that drivers must keep in cars
- Clashes soon turned violent as thousands fought with police at cordons
- An estimated two dozen people lost eyes and many others were admitted to hospital
Dates for the diary
To mark Bodytree’s 10th anniversary, the coming season will be filled with celebratory activities:
- September 21 Anyone interested in becoming a certified yoga instructor can sign up for a 250-hour course in Yoga Teacher Training with Jacquelene Sadek. It begins on September 21 and will take place over the course of six weekends.
- October 18 to 21 International yoga instructor, Yogi Nora, will be visiting Bodytree and offering classes.
- October 26 to November 4 International pilates instructor Courtney Miller will be on hand at the studio, offering classes.
- November 9 Bodytree is hosting a party to celebrate turning 10, and everyone is invited. Expect a day full of free classes on the grounds of the studio.
- December 11 Yogeswari, an advanced certified Jivamukti teacher, will be visiting the studio.
- February 2, 2018 Bodytree will host its 4th annual yoga market.
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, second leg result:
Ajax 2-3 Tottenham
Tottenham advance on away goals rule after tie ends 3-3 on aggregate
Final: June 1, Madrid
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
Results
5pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 1,400m; Winner: Faiza, Sandro Paiva (jockey), Ali Rashid Al Raihe (trainer).
5.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh90,000 1,400m; Winner: Greeley, Connor Beasley, Helal Al Alawi.
6pm: Emirates Fillies Classic Prestige (PA) Dh100,000 1,600m; Winner: Marzaga, Jim Crowley, Ana Mendez.
6.30pm: Emirates Colts Classic Prestige (PA) Dh100,000 1,600m; Winner: Jawaal, Jim Crowley, Majed Al Jahouri.
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 1,600m; Winner: AF Ashras, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel.
7.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 2,200m; Winner: Somoud, Richard Mullen, Ahmed Al Mehairbi.
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