Boris Johnson says ‘extra precautions’ for Covid may still be needed after 19 July
Boris Johnson has today warned that “extra precautions” in England may be needed beyond 19 July when Covid restrictions are set to be eased.
The Prime Minister said he will be “setting in the course of the next few days what step four will look like exactly”, but gave no indication about potential Covid rules that could still remain in place.
He also strongly hinted that the next step on the government’s roadmap out of lockdown will go ahead on 19 July.
He said it was “ever clearer” vaccines had broken the link between Covid cases and deaths.
“That gives us the scope, we think, to go ahead on the 19th, cautiously and irreversibly,” he said.
Johnson’s “extra precautions” comment will be perceived as a hint that mask wearing or some form of social distancing could still continue after this date.
It comes as 60,000 people will pack into Wembley Stadium for each of the semi-finals and final of the Euro 2020 football competition next week.
Little social distancing or mask wearing is expected at these events.
“I know how impatient people are to get back to total normality, as indeed am I,” Johnson said.
“But I think I’ve said it before, we’ll be wanting to go back to a world that is as close to the status quo, ante-Covid, as possible. Try to get back to life as close to it was before Covid.
“But there may be some things we have to do, extra precautions that we have to take, but I’ll be setting them out.”
Covid cases have soared in the past week as the more transmissible Delta variant rips through the UK.
There have been 135,074 cases in the past seven days – a 70 per cent seven-day increase.
Hospitalisations and deaths have only seen small increases in this time, providing hope that vaccinations will keep these numbers down even if cases continue to rise.
Health secretary Sajid Javid said earlier this week that he wants “to see those restrictions lifted as soon as we can, as quickly as possible”.
“It’s going to be irreversible, there’s no going back. That’s why we want to be careful during that process,” he said.