Boris Johnson to announce end of lockdown rules today as we ‘learn to live with the virus’

The Prime Minister is set to make a speech at 5pm today to detail plans for the revised ‘freedom day’ on July 19th.

Most Covid-19 restrictions – including compulsory face coverings and social distancing – are expected to be fully lifted on the 19th, despite backlash from government scientific advisers who have warned that doing so would be like building new ‘variant factories.’

Changes to be announced include allowing fully vaccinated adults to travel to amber list countries without having to self-isolate when they return, making the wearing of face masks voluntary – apart from in hospitals and other healthcare settings – and no longer requiring fully vaccinated adults to self-isolate if they have come into contact with an infected person.

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He is also expected to announce that, with 86% of adults in the UK having had at least a first jab, the government will move from relying on legal curbs to control people’s behaviour to letting individuals make their own decisions.

According to The Mirror, Boris Johnson has admitted the number of cases are expected to rise further once restrictions are lifted, but we must continue to ‘exercise judgment.’

He said: “Thanks to the successful rollout of our vaccination programme, we are progressing cautiously through our roadmap. Today we will set out how we can restore people’s freedoms when we reach step four.

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“But I must stress that the pandemic is not over and that cases will continue to rise over the coming weeks.

“As we begin to learn to live with this virus, we must all continue to carefully manage the risks from Covid and exercise judgement when going about our lives.”

It is believed that the Prime Minister will also be calling for more people to get their second dose before July 19th to offer them the highest protection as cases surge.