What time is the UK government’s COVID announcement today?

The UK government has announced an end to the majority of rules around COVID-19 are to be lifted in England.

The Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced during his appearance in the House of Commons on Wednesday that rules for mandatory face masks and COVID passes will end in England.

There had been a surge in cases over the winter period following the discovery of a mutated variant of COVID-19 that has been dubbed the “Omicron” variant.

Due to concerns about these mutations, the UK government had brought in new restrictions including increased testing, Covid-19 passes for various venues, encouraged working from home where possible, promotion of the booster vaccine programme, perform lateral flow tests before attending “high-risk” settings, and other further restrictions.

However, Mr Johnson confirmed that some of these measures would be lifted from tomorrow and more from next week.

Now, following this announcement, Downing Street will air a COVID-19 press conference live (Wednesday 19th January 2022).

The press conference comes following the controversy surrounding alleged gatherings in 10 Downing Street and in other government buildings over the Christmas period in the previous year, 2020.

Here is when you can watch the next COVID press conference.

What time is the COVID press conference today?

The UK government will address the nation on Wednesday 19th January 2022 from 5pm GMT for a Covid-19 press conference.

Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid Javid will front the appearance alongside Dr Susan Hopkins from the UK Health Security Agency.

The press conference is expected to tackle the changes in policy and restrictions implemented by the UK government in England following the announcement by Boris Johnson in Parliament earlier today.

Where can I watch Boris Johnson’s announcement today?

The UK government’s coronavirus briefing will be broadcast live on BBC News and Sky News from 5pm, with analysis and commentary likely to dominate news programmes afterwards.

You can also tune in online via BBC News on BBC iPlayer and Sky News on YouTube.

The press conference will also be shared on the 10 Downing Street social media channels.

If you are keen to watch Boris Johnson’s original announcement in the House of Commons then it will likely be highlighted on BBC News and Sky News and is also available on BBC Parliament on BBC iPlayer.

Who is leading today’s coronavirus briefing?

Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid Javid will front the announcement today.

He will appear alongside Dr Susan Hopkins from the UK Health Security Agency.

In the past, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has led coronavirus updates from Downing Street, along with England’s Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty and Chief Scientific Adviser Sir Patrick Vallance.

In previous instances, conferences have been led by the likes of Grant Shapps, Matt Hancock and Rishi Sunak, with Deputy Chief Medical Officer Professor Jonathan Van Tam, NHS Chief Executive Sir Simon Stevens, England’s Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty and Chief Scientific Adviser Sir Patrick Vallance in supporting roles.

Government figures have also been joined by other medical and science experts including NHS England’s regional medical director for London Dr Vin Diwakar.

What will be included in today’s announcement?

The UK government is expected to lay out in detail the upcoming changes to COVID-19 restrictions for England which sees them move back to ‘Plan A’.

Among the changes are expected to be:

• The end of mandatory mask-wearing in all settings from Thursday.
• The end of mandatory COVID passes in all settings, but organisations can still choose to make this a requirement.
• The removal of advice to work from home and for employees to check with employers about a return to work premises.

There will likely be further detail added to these.

Will there be another lockdown in the UK?

It is expected the Prime Minister will resist future lockdowns and only implement another one as a last resort. Johnson referred to the roadmap out of lockdown as “cautious but irreversible” when it was first announced in February 2021, with the winter plan focusing on booster jabs “to protect the gains we have made”.

Despite the movement to ‘Plan B’ and increased restrictions over the winter, the UK government is moving away from restrictions beyond mandatory isolation for those who test positive for COVID-19.

So, unless there is a dramatic change in the landscape, we won’t be locking down again any time soon.

Will Boris Johnson be at the coronavirus briefing?

No, Boris Johnson will not be leading today’s COVID-19 briefing.

The Prime Minister announced the changes in COVID-19 policies in Parliament earlier today.

Johnson has led several press briefings in recent months, which have been used to declare crucial information, such as the announcement of the third national lockdown and updates on the UK’s vaccination programme.

Other ministers who have led briefings in the past include former Health Secretary Matt Hancock, Chancellor Rishi Sunak, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab and Home Secretary Priti Patel.

Has Boris Johnson had coronavirus?

Johnson announced he had tested positive for COVID-19 on Friday 27th March 2020 via a video on his Twitter account.

Nine days later he was admitted into hospital and Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab deputised in his absence.

Johnson was discharged on Sunday 12th April and returned to work on the week commencing 27th April.

In November 2020, he underwent another period of self-isolation after coming into contact with someone who tested positive.

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