Remaining Covid Restrictions are Lifted Today Including the Requirement to Isolate
Today marks the end of all remaining Covid restrictions following the Prime Minister's living with Covid plan being revealed earlier this week.
The few Covid-19 laws that were left for England have now been relaxed, including the laws on self-isolation.
Plans to remove the remaining restrictions were set to take place in March, however Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced two weeks ago that the data had enabled this date to be bought forward a month.
The final easing of restrictions has put England back into the freedom it had before the coronavirus pandemic took hold in March 2020, but people are still urged to act responsibly.
Whilst many are happy about getting back to normality, the removal of free lateral flow tests are beginning to cause some concern.
Surrey Heath Age Concern have used lateral flow tests to ensure they are safe when visiting isolated and lonely members of the community.
Their charity helps to prevent further isolation of elderly and vulnerable individuals by visiting them and being a companion.
Charity Manager Sally Mills and her volunteers have tested using the free kits before visiting anyone to ensure that the virus does not unnecessarily spread to vulnerable individuals, and has concerns the introduction of paying may lead the certain groups back into the fear of the early pandemic.
Sally said:
"Usually the poorest are often the most vulnerable. So you're actually, you know, charging the poor extra or the vulnerable or the isolated extra money that they could be using to, well, to heat their homes or to buy food.
"Obviously we're in a cost of living crisis, so then to charge for testing, I don't think it's going to achieve anything.
"I think if anything, it will make people retreat backwards and be more fearful."
Free universal testing will end in England on April 1, despite opposition from several sections of the healthcare community.
However free testing will remain available to organisations such as hospitals and care homes, but the vast majority of people will have to pay.
Despite the requirement to isolate when testing positive being removed, Sally is certain her volunteers will still put others safety first, she said:
" I think all of our volunteers are so sensible and they're so caring and they they want the best for the person that they're befriending that they wouldn't put that person at risk.
"I'm very confident that we wouldn't put any of our people at risk really. I just think they will be very sensible and conscientious because that's the kind of people that they are".
An additional Covid-19 booster vaccination is set to be offered to the country's most vulnerable from spring, and will be UK wide.