People who test positive for the CCP virus in England may no longer be legally required to self-isolate in two weeks’ time, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson signaled on Feb. 9.
The UK government scrapped most restrictions in England on Jan. 27, but people who test positive and their unvaccinated contacts are still required to self-isolate.
The prime minister previously said he “very much expect[ed] not to renew” the rules when the relevant regulations expire on March 24.
But speaking in Parliament on Wednesday, Johnson said the legal requirement may end “a full month early.”
Johnson told lawmakers, who are about to adjourn for recess on Thursday, that he intends to present the government’s strategy for living with COVID-19 on Feb. 21, the first day after the recess.
“Provided the current encouraging trends in the data continue, it is my expectation that we will be able to end the last domestic restrictions—including the legal requirement to self-isolate if you test positive—a full month early,” he said.
The prime minister’s announcement came as Paul Hunter, professor of medicine at the University of East Anglia, said he would advise against vaccinating all 5- to 11-year-olds.
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) is expecting to give its recommendation soon after evaluating the benefit and risk of vaccinating healthy children in this age group.
The committee previously advised against vaccinating all 12- to 15-year-olds on health grounds, but the age group was later offered one dose in order to reduce disruption to their education due to government-mandated isolation rules.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s “Today” programme, Hunter said the UK has “passed the point” where vaccines would make much difference as the infection rates among children have been “very high” in recent weeks and are now “falling really quickly.”
Speaking of the potential benefit of keeping children in schools, Hunter said, “We haven’t seen that vaccines have actually done a huge amount to stop these interruptions, so I think the benefits are marginal, and it’s probably too late because most kids have already had Omicron.”
According to data from the Office for Statistics (ONS), around one in nine children (11.5 percent) from age 2 to school year 6 are likely to have had COVID-19 last week, down from one in eight, or 13.1 percent, the previous week.
A separate ONS data set estimated that between 90.2 percent and 93.3 percent for those aged 12 to 15 years in the UK would have tested positive for CCP virus antibodies in the week beginning Jan. 10, and between 63.3 to 72.7 percent for those aged 8 to 11 years would have tested positive.
The regional governments in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, which have the power to make their own public health policies, have also rolled back their Omicron curbs, but face-covering, social distancing, and self-isolation rules have remained.
NHS COVID Passes are still required in Scotland and Wales as a condition of entry to some premises.
Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said on Tuesday she will publish a “return to normal” plan on Feb. 22.
A review of current rules is due in Wales on Thursday. First Minister Mark Drakeford previously said mandates on face coverings and COVID-19 passes would be up for review this week.
The resignation of First Minister Paul Givan last week left Northern Ireland without a functioning government, hindering the region’s process of easing restrictions, but Health Minister Robin Swann said on Monday that he is seeking legal advice on how he can remove most, if not all restrictions, himself.
Denmark is currently the only European country that has abandoned all of the domestic CCP virus restrictions.
