For the first time since March 2020, England will be free from restrictions on social freedom.

On Monday July 5, Boris Johnson confirmed that Covid-19 restrictions will end on July 19 2021. It is a landmark moment in the fight against coronavirus. No longer will it be necessary for citizens to practice social distancing or wear masks. Limitations on indoor gatherings are also being removed. In essence, life is returning to normal.

However, medical experts are questioning Prime Minister’s decision to remove all restrictions. The change in stance on masks is especially troublesome. Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme, the chairman of the British Medical Association, Dr Chaand Nagpaul raised concerns about the government’s decision:

“We know that face masks are proven to reduce spread of this infection” and “can’t understand why – at a time where there are ‘exceptional high levels of cases’ – we would “knowingly want people to become infected”

Masks remain a keystone of coronavirus prevention measures. It is currently a legal requirement to wear masks in shops, places of worship and on public transport. Now, wearing masks will be a personal choice. The housing secretary Robert Jenrick told Andrew Marr on Sunday that the public will have to exercise “personal responsibility” over masks.

The final step comes amid a sharp rise in cases following the easing of restrictions. For the past week, the UK has registered more than 20,000 cases each day. Hospital admissions are also rising. Yet, hospital admissions are not rising rapidly, as seen in the first two waves. Currently, only 1905 people are in hospital with Covid-19. At the peak of the second wave in January and February 2021, more than 35,000 people were in hospital.

The successful rollout of the Covid-19 vaccines is stopping admissions from reaching previous levels. Deaths also remain low. For this reason, the government is pushing ahead with the final step in easing restrictions.

Analysis

The government’s rhetoric of Covid-19 and restriction measures is changing. Previously, the focus was reducing transmission, hence the need for social distancing measures. Now, the messaging is centred on living with the virus. The Prime Minister has said that the public must “learn to live” with the virus.

The new health secretary, Sajid Javid, is also trumpeting the belief that it is time we learn to live with the virus. Since Javid took over from Matt Hancock, the UK has averaged approximately 25,000 cases each day. On Sunday July 4, Javid repeated his belief that it was time to lift restrictions:

“We are going to have to learn to accept the existence of Covid and find ways to cope with it – just as we already do with flu,”

Scientists accept that the world will have to learn to live with Covid-19. The restrictions cannot remain in place forever. However, scientists continue to have doubts over whether July 19 should be the date for restrictions to be removed. The British Medical Association is calling for face masks to remain in place and for new ventilation standards to be introduced.

There is concern that the absence of restrictions will allow new variants of the virus to appear. UK scientists described likened a scenario with new restrictions to “variant factories”. In an environment without checks and balances against it, the virus will be able to mutate. The Delta variant remains the dominant variant in the UK. It accounts for 99% of the cases reported.

Since its arrival on these shores, the Delta variant has led to the most recent spike in cases due to its high levels of transmissibility. It has also shown some resistance to the vaccines. For this reason, scientists want some Covid-19 prevention measures to remain in place.

Trouble on the horizon?

Among the easing of restrictions has been the return of in-person events. These include sporting events, such as the British Grand Prix at Silverstone which will feature a capacity crowd of 140,000. Both the women’s and men’s finals at Wimbledon will also have capacity crowds.

Perhaps most notable, however, is Euro 2020 which is in its final week. Both semi-finals and the final will be played at Wembley with 75% capacity. Crowds would total up to 60,000 people. Even more people will gather at the Fan Zone in Trafalgar Square and the Football Village in Potters Field Park.

However, some MEPs are apprehensive about the plan:

“Despite the worrisome situation, the UK government decided to increase crowd capacity at Wembley. We consider this decision a recipe for disaster.”

These gatherings could become superspreader events. Since the beginning of the pandemic, several events have been linked to outbreaks of Covid-19. Given how quickly the Delta variant has taken hold, the final matches of Euro 2020 could facilitate a mass outbreak.

Despite these concerns, the government is pushing ahead with their plans. The vaccines mean that it is possible to reopen and keep hospitalisations low. However, this will depend on a variety of factors, including the emergence of other variants. Now, it is up to members of the public to protect themselves as they see fit.

About the Author: James Hingley

James Hingley is a contributing Features Writer with extensive expertise in International Relations, Politics and Culture.