England reopens despite spike in Covid cases, and Boris Johnson is isolated

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Almost all lockdown restrictions were lifted in England on Monday despite a spike in Covid-19 cases, warnings of supermarket shortages and Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s forced self-isolation.

Although the UK’s chief medical officer, Chris Whitty, has warned of potential “problems”, there will be no need for masks from Monday, which has been called “Freedom Day” by certain sections of the media.

Nightclubs and sporting events will also be free to operate at full capacity in England, and the government will no longer advise people to work from home.

In other parts of the UK – Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland – delegated governments are taking more cautious steps and will not open up completely.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson hugs Health Minister Sajid Javid in December. Javid recently tested positive for Covid-19. Toby Melville/Reuters

Johnson made a swift policy shift on Sunday and his Downing Street office said he would spend 10 days in self-isolation after coming into contact with a coronavirus patient – reversing an earlier announcement that he would not have to self-quarantine. With widespread alarm.

Johnson and Treasury chief Rishi Sunak were alerted overnight by the English test and trace phone app. Johnson held a meeting on Friday with Health Minister Sajid Javid, who tested positive for Covid-19 on Saturday. Javid, who was fully vaccinated, said he had only mild symptoms.

Johnson’s office initially said he and Sunak would undergo daily coronavirus tests as part of an alternative system being trialled in some workplaces, including government offices.

Less than three hours later, after a protest against the apparent special treatment of politicians, Downing Street said Johnson would self-isolate at Checkers, the prime minister’s country residence. She said Sunak will self-isolate.

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Johnson’s big day was also marred by “epidemic chaos” as NHS enforcement ordered hundreds of thousands of people to self-isolate – leading to warnings that store shelves could soon be emptied as businesses across England faced a shortage of workers.

“If we don’t do it now we have to ask ourselves, when are we going to do it?” Johnson said in a video posted on social media.

“This is the right moment but we have to do it with caution. We have to remember that unfortunately this virus is still around.”

Like a lot of people I have come under pressure from NHS Test and Trace because I have been in contact with someone with COVID-19, and will be self-isolating until Monday 26 July. pic.twitter.com/X57gDpwDqe

– Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) July 18, 2021

Britain recorded 54,674 new cases of Covid-19 on Saturday – the highest daily number since January. However, deaths from the disease remained relatively low. More than 128,000 people across the UK have died from the disease, the highest death toll in Europe.

About 67.8 percent of adults, or just over half of the total population, received two doses of the vaccine.

Despite repeated government reassurances about the release of the vaccine, medical experts have warned that “Freedom Day” could pose a threat to the rest of the world.

More than 1,200 scientists endorsed a letter in the British medical journal The Lancet criticizing the government’s decision while warning that the strategy could allow the development of vaccine-resistant variants.

Whitty also warned that the number of people hospitalized with Covid-19 could reach “very frightening” levels.

“I don’t think we should underestimate the fact that we can get into trouble again surprisingly quickly,” he said Thursday during a webinar hosted by the Science Museum.

The families of many of those who died from Covid-19 in Britain have also criticized the government’s plan.

“The overwhelming scientific consensus is that lifting restrictions on Monday would be disastrous, and bereaved families know firsthand how tragic the consequences of unlocking could be so early,” Joe Goodman, co-founder of Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice, told Reuters.

“There is a real fear that the government’s thinking will again be driven by what is popular and not the interests of the country,” he said.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed.

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