Cabinet will meet this morning (Monday 21 February) to agree the
plan for living with Covid-19, with the Prime Minister expected
to update parliament this afternoon.
A press conference is expected to be held in the evening.
When the government confirmed an end to Plan B measures in
January, the Prime Minister committed to setting out our
long-term plan for living with Covid.
Following our successful vaccination programme, we are now in a
strong position to consider lifting the remaining legal
restrictions, with over 81% of adults having received a booster
dose in England and cases continuing to fall.
However the pandemic is not over, and as set out by SAGE, there
is considerable uncertainty about the path the pandemic will now
take in the UK.
That’s why we will continue to take a cautious approach as we
learn to live with covid, retaining some surveillance systems and
plans for contingency measures which can be stood up if needed to
respond to new variants.
But thanks to the phenomenal success of the vaccine programme and
our improved understanding of the virus, we can now move away
from government intervention towards personal responsibility.
While Omicron drove case rates to an all-time high, adherence to
Plan B and wider behaviour change from the public slowed the
growth of the virus in order to buy time to get boosters into
arms.
Our plan for living with Covid-19 will be vaccine-led. Vaccines
allowed the economy and society to reopen, and our ability to
live with the virus will depend on the sustained population
immunity provided by vaccines.
It will ensure we continue to support and protect people, while
ensuring the UK is resilient in the face of future waves of the
virus.
Prime Minister 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.
“The pandemic is not over but thanks to the incredible vaccine
rollout we are now one step closer towards a return to normality
and finally giving people back their freedoms while continuing to
protect ourselves and others.”
