Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to announce a plan for how England will “live with COVID” today.
After almost two years restrictions amid the COVID-19 pandemic, as confirmed by and according to Downing Street, Mr Johnson will meet his cabinet ministers this morning to agree the plan for living with the virus, and he is then expected to update parliament on the plans this afternoon.
He will then hold a news conference to reveal details to the public later this the evening.
Speaking ahead of the plan’s unveiling, Mr Johnson 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.”
He insisted however that “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,” he concluded.
Covid will not suddenly disappear, and we need to learn to live with this virus and continue to protect ourselves without restricting our freedoms. 1/3
Thanks to our successful vaccination programme and the sheer magnitude of people who have come forward to be jabbed, we are now in a position to set out our plan for living with Covid this week. 3/3
The Prime Minister said he wants to move away from “government intervention towards personal responsibility”.
No 10 said the success of the COVID vaccination programme had put England in a “strong position to consider lifting the remaining legal restrictions”, adding that the plan for living with COVID would take a “cautious approach” that would retain “some surveillance systems and plans for contingency measures which can be stood up if needed to respond to new variants”.
The government’s scientific advisers on its SAGE committee have emphasised there is “considerable uncertainty about the path the pandemic will now take in the UK”.
Today’s news conference comes after Downing Street had confirmed on Saturday that positive cases and their close contacts will no longer have to self-isolate by the end of this week, which has been criticised by a number of medical professionals, including Chaand Nagpaul – Chair of the British Medical Association – who said the decision is “premature” and “not based on current evidence” or “guided by data”.
The Prime Minister said the plan will “mark a moment of pride after one of the most difficult periods in our country’s history” / Credit: Flickr
Matthew Taylor – Chief Executive of NHS Confederation – too told Sky News it was “too early” to be ending mandatory testing, and said there was no plan for what to do without the programme.
75% of NHS leaders in England who disagree with the plan to scrap self-isolation, according to a recently-conducted survey.
Unison, Unite, and the GMB are also urging the Prime Minister to keep in place free testing and the requirement to self-isolate, with the three unions warning that a failure to provide clear, detailed guidance risks a “super spreader free-for-all” in schools and other workplaces.
Featured Image – Flickr (Andrew Parsons / 10 Downing Street)
News
More than 100 ‘unsafe’ counterfeit Labubus seized in Oldham
Daisy Jackson
More than 100 counterfeit Labubus and accessories have been seized in Oldham, the council has announced.
The Labubu dolls – a plush collectible with giant smiles and bunny ears – have been seized because they are fake, and unsafe.
The haul of 104 Labubus has been given a street value of between £800 and £1000 – but if they were the real deal, they’d be worth more than three times as much.
The poorly-made figures were being sold for a fraction of the price of a real Labubu, which are manufactured by Chinese company Pop Mart (it’s set to open its second Manchester store in the Trafford Centre next week).
Oldham Council’s Trading Standards team said it seized the counterfeit Labubus from local businesses and found that they were unsafe and poorly made.
Officers raised concerns about the safety of the dolls, which had small parts such as eyes, hands and feet broke off easily, creating a choking hazard.
What a genuine Labubu should look like. Credit: The Hoot Leeds
They were also missing legally required safety marks such as the CE or UKCA labels, and lacked the name and address of a UK supplier, which is another legal requirement.
Councillor Elaine Taylor, Oldham Council’s Cabinet Member for Housing and Licensing, said: “Oldham Trading Standards carries out regular checks to help keep unsafe products off the shelves. In this case, these counterfeit toys failed safety standards and have now been removed from sale.
“We know it can be tempting to buy toys that look like a bargain, but parents need to be extra careful. Fake toys like these may be cheaper, but they can put children in real danger if they’re not made to strict safety standards.
“If anyone has concerns about toys they’ve purchased, or if they see unsafe products on sale locally, we’d encourage them to get in touch with Trading Standards through the Consumer Helpline on 0808 223 1133.”
Council publishes list of central Manchester roads set to be resurfaced this summer
Emily Sergeant
A list of roads in Manchester that are set to be resurfaced before the summer is out has been published.
Manchester City Council recently asked residents in the region what their priorities were for their community and what issues they wanted to see tackled – and for many, the answer was the quality of the road surfaces.
Since then, the Council says it has been ‘engaged’ in a long-running programme of improvement works throughout the borough.
Now, with just over a month of the summer season left, it has been confirmed that some vital resurfacing works are due to start over the coming weeks in north and central Manchester, bringing a range of improvements to key district roads along with it.
First up, from Saturday 9 August, Hollinwood Avenue is to be resurfaced.
The Council has published a list of Manchester roads that are set to be resurfaced this summer / Credit: MJ Richardson (via Geograph)
Anticipated to take six weeks to complete, this work will be carried out during weekend closures from 8am-5pm, with the road remaining open during the working week.
The closure area will be between Greengates Roundabout and the Oldham boundary at Owler Lane, and a signed diversion route will be in place while work is carried out, and access for residents will be maintained at all times.
Then, starting from Saturday 16 August, resurfacing works will begin on Moss Lane East, between Alexandra Road and Princess Road.
Work will take place between 7am and 5pm on weekdays, and 8am and 5pm on weekends, and during the works, the road will be completely closed – with a signed diversion route in place and access for residents maintained.
As always, disruption is expected and the public is encouraged to plan ahead / Credit: Mylo Kaye (via Unsplash)
These works are expected to take six weeks to complete, and as with all resurfacing projects, residents should expect some disruption and may need to plan ahead.
The Council is aiming to keep disruption to the public at a minimum, where possible.
“We know how important it is to our residents that key roads are well maintained, which is why were glad to be able to deliver this latest round of improvement works,” commented Councillor Tracey Rawlins, who is the Executive Member for Clean Air, Environment, and Transport at Manchester City Council.
“I’d like to thank people ahead of time for their patience during the course of these works and would advise them to check when closures will be in place and where the diversions are.”
You can find more information on the resurfacing works on the Council website here.
Emily Sergeant -
21st February 2022 
