BORIS Johnson today hailed the British people for pulling through two of the “darkest years” since the Second World War as he brought the curtain down on the age of lockdown laws.
The PM championed the “moment of pride for our nation” as he axed all remaining rules – but said it was too soon to declare victory over Covid just yet as more variants loom.
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From Thursday the self-isolation requirement will be ditched and Sick Pay will end on March 24.
Free tests will also end on April 1 to stop them blowing a bigger hole in the public purse.
He took the giant leap back to normality by hailing Britain’s supercharged jabs rollout for wrestling down infections and deaths.
At a Downing Street press conference tonight the PM said: “After two of the darkest years in our peacetime history, I do believe this is a moment of pride for our nation and a source of hope for all that we can achieve in the years to come.”
However he issued a sobering warning that “this virus is not going away” because there would always be new strains threatening the recovery.
He said: “There may be significant resurgences. Our scientists are certain that will be more variants and it is very possible that those will be worse than Omicron”
In key developments:
RULES SHREDDED
From midnight Thursday the last two Covid regulations will be repealed – the legal requirement to self-isolate and emergency powers for councils to respond to outbreaks.
It means in three days time even non-vaccinated people can go about their daily lives if they catch Covid.
The government will still advise sick people to stay at home “just as we encourage people who may have flu to be considerate to others”.
The £500 self-isolation payments will end on Thursday, while the £96 sick pay handout for Covid-stricken Brits will be dropped on March 24.
He told MPs: “It is time that we got our confidence back. We don’t need laws to compel people to be considerate to others.
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“We can rely on that sense of responsibility towards one another by providing practical advice in the knowledge that people will follow it to protect their loved ones.
“So let us learn to live with is protecting ourselves and others without restricting our freedoms.”
Cabinet this afternoon rubber-stamped the mass junking in defiance of doomster scientists and unions accusing the PM of recklessness.
Downing Street hit back with evidence Omicron was much weaker than previous strains, revealing the variant had caused zero excess deaths.
TESTING THE FINANCES
From April 1, “when Winter is over and the virus will spread less easily”, Brits will no longer be eligible for free tests.
Some free swabs will remain for the elderly and most vulnerable if they have symptoms, but most people will have to pay for kits.
Downing Street hopes to keep the cost of tests below £20 although does not yet have firm prices.
Mr Johnson said it was vital to scale back the infrastructure to contain the cost to the public purse ballooning even more.
Revealing the humongous whack to the Treasury coffers, he said running Test and Trace was more expensive than the entire Home Office budget.
He said: “It cost a further £15.7 billion in this financial year, and £2 billion in January alone at the height of the Omicron wave. We must now scale this back.”
Chancellor Rishi Sunak and Health Secretary Sajid Javid were at loggerheads over who pays for the pared-back testing regime – with the Treasury refusing to cough up any more money.
The decision to scrap universal testing puts the PM on a collision course with Labour who warns it will damage public health.
Sir Keir Starmer told the Commons: “Free tests can’t continue forever, but if you’re 2-1 up with 10 minutes to go you don’t sub off one of your best defenders.”
But the PM shot back that his Labour foe “has shown an absolutely ferocious grip of the wrong end of the stick”.
The shredding of Covid laws has gone down a storm with Tory MPs keen to shake off the restrictions and turbo-charge the economic bounceback.
Mr Johnson hailed Britain’s supersonic vaccine rollout as the lynchpin of the recovery from Covid.
He said: “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.
“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. “
All your Covid questions answered
ALL your Covid questions answered after today’s announcement
I’ve got Covid symptoms – what do I do?
You should still isolate and and get a test if you can – but there is no law to do so. People will still be guided to stay home but no longer face a £1000 fine if they don’t. From Thursday contacts of Covid cases won’t be told to isolate or take daily tests.
Who can still get a free test?
People over 80 and people going into hospital will still be able to get tested. And those working in NHS and social care settings will also be able to access regular lateral flows.
If I have to pay, where do I get a test from and how much do they cost?
It’s expected that lateral flows will be no more than a few pounds per test, and PCR tests around £80. You’ll probably be able to get them from pharmacies or order them online.
Will my employer provide them?
If you work in the NHS or social care it’s likely they will be provided for you. Some big firms may provide lateral flow tests free of charge to employees.
Can I ditch the face masks altogether?
It will still be recommended to wear a mask in healthcare settings like hospitals, but this is not law. Individual shops or businesses may ask that you wear a mask, but you can’t be legally forced to.
What are the rules on foreign travel now?
Today’s announcement hasn’t changed anything around foreign travel. Passenger locator forms are still needed for anyone coming into the country, but these are expected to be ripped up in future. You will still be able to use your NHS app to show you’ve been vaccinated in order to travel abroad.
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