All remaining restrictions have been lifted in England today as part of the government’s “living with COVID plan”.
After almost two years living amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed on Monday that all remaining restrictions are to come to an end and unveiled the government’s plan for “living with COVID” to MPs in the House of Commons.
He said it’s in bid to move from “government restrictions to personal responsibility”.
Speaking at a Downing Street news conference on Monday evening, Mr Johnson said “today is not the day we can declare victory over COVID”, but admitted that the nation had passed the peak of Omicron, with falling cases and hospital admissions.
He described the pandemic as “two of the darkestt years in our peacetime history”, but now is the country can complete the “transition back towards normality”
The government already dropped its guidance for staff and students in most education and childcare settings to undertake twice weekly asymptomatic testing on 22 February.
ADVERTISEMENT
From today:
The legal requirement to self-isolate for those who test positive has ended.
Vaccinated contacts of positive cases will no longer be asked to test for seven days.
There will no longer be a legal requirement for close contacts who are not vaccinated to self-isolate.
Contact tracing and venue check-ins on the COVID-19 app has also ended.
The £500 self-isolation support payment for people on low incomes who test positive for COVID will no longer be available.
COVID provisions for increased statutory sick pay will apply for a further month.
It is also expected today that the government will issue and update wider guidance on workplace safety that had been changed for COVID.
Covid-19 has not gone away, but because of the efforts we have made as a country over the past two years we can now move from government regulations to personal responsibility.
Free universal testing for symptomatic and asymtomatic people will be scrapped and will instead be targeted at the most vulnerable.
The use of voluntarily COVID status certification will also no longer be recommended.
Remove the health and safety requirement for every employer to explicitly consider COVID-19 in their risk assessments.
People with COVID symptoms will be asked to exercise “personal responsibility” when deciding whether to stay at home.
Announcing the lifting of restrictions, the Prime Minister said: “Because of the efforts we have made as a country over the past two years, we can now deal with it in a very different way, moving from government restrictions to personal responsibility, so we protect ourselves without losing our abilities and maintaining our contingent capabilities so we can respond rapidly to any new variant.”
Mr Johnson added that it is “only because levels of immunity are so high” that the remaining restrictions can be lifted.
He said “vaccines and treatments” must now been seen as “our first line of defence”.
The government says ministers and scientific experts will continue to “track the virus in granular detail”, and that it remains “ready to respond” if a new variant emerges and places unsustainable pressure on the NHS, through surveillance systems and contingency measures such as increased testing capacity or vaccine programmes.
The government’s plan for “living with COVID” has drawn criticism from opposition and a growing number of medical professionals for being “premature” and “not based on current evidence” or “guided by data”.
However, the Prime Minister insists the block was simply an attempt to protect the party, arguing that it would have diverted focus and resources away from other issues, whilst insisting that what Burnham does after his run as the region’s mayor is “a matter for Andy”.
🚨 EXCLUSIVE
This is the letter Labour activists in Gorton and Denton are sending to Sir Keir Starmer and Shabana Mahmood
They are demanding the NEC reverses its decision to block Andy Burnham from standing in the by-election in their seat
As per The Telegraph, Starmer went on to add that he believes his former colleague (the PM worked under Burnham back in 2015) is doing “a first-class job” in local government.
The 56-year-old was first elected Mayor for Greater Manchester back in 2017 before winning re-election back in both 2021 and May of 2024.
His current tenure is set to end around the same time in 2028, but with many touting for the ‘King of the North’ as a potential leadership replacement ahead of the next general election – which must take place no later than 15 August 2029 – a prospective return to Parliament could be next on the cards.
Those who signed the letter going against Keir stated that he had “no legitimate reason” to prevent such a move against Burnham and said that Labour’s governing body, the National Executive Committee (NEC), should reassess and ultimately reconsider.
It remains to be seen whether the outcome will change either way.
The internal saga has sparked quite the debate
As for the Aintree-born politician, after already admitting that he was “disappointed” by the decision, he also rubbished suggestions that he knew about the move to block him prior to the event, calling the reports “completely untrue” and simply made no sense.
Following up in another post on social media, he shared the latest update from Downing Street itself, which reads: “No one in Number 10 told Andy Burnham not to apply to the NEC for permission to stand or gave any indication to him which sought to prejudge the NEC officers’ deliberation or decision.”
Once again, only time will tell whether or not the letter objecting to Burnham’s return to standing for a constituency or any other Parliamentary role will see any watershed.
Police appeal after Salford woman, 95, threatened by window cleaner in her own home
Emily Sergeant
Police are appealing for information after an elderly woman was threatened inside her own home during an attempted robbery.
Around 11am yesterday morning (27 January), officers from Greater Manchester Police‘s (GMP) Salford division responded to reports that a woman had cash demanded from her at an address on Belcroft Drive in Little Hulton.
It is believed that a man entered the property after offering to clean the woman’s – who police have confirmed is 95-years-old – windows, before tying her hands together, and then demanding her cash and purse.
The man’s efforts were disrupted when another woman who knew the victim arrived at the house, and thankfully because of this, no injuries were reported and the victim is being supported by officers.
The man fled the scene, and no arrests have been made at this time.
This is why police are now appealing to the public for any information that they may have that could help with their investigation while extensive enquires are ongoing – including any CCTV, dashcam, or doorbell footage from around the area at the time.
Investigators attended the scene and gathered evidence, which is currently being assessed and acted upon, but are also keen to speak to anyone who saw anything ‘suspicious’.
The man who committed the offence was described as white male, approximately in his late 60s or early 70s, with short mousy brown hair combed back, no facial hair, glasses, appeared well-kempt, and was wearing a dark raincoat jacket, jeans, and dark-coloured shoes.
“This was a vile incident in which a woman was tied up and threatened, and we are determined to locate the man responsible,” commented Detective Inspector Paul Davies, from GMP’s Salford district.
“Thankfully, this was not a more serious situation and we commend the brave actions of the lady’s friend who confronted the man and called officers. As we progress this investigation, we are appealing for anyone with any information to please come forward.”
Can you help? Anyone with information is asked to contact police via 101 or the Live Chat service at gmp.police.uk, quoting log 1082 of 27/01/26, or alternatively, you can contact Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.
Emily Sergeant -
24th February 2022 
