Five years after the pandemic, people are still being hauled into court over alleged Covid rule breaches, with many feeling punished for honest mistakes in a drawn-out, costly Kafkaesque saga.
Britons should go to work if they have a headache or feel tired, even though both are now officially recognised as Covid symptoms, says Sajid Javid. The chaos will only end when all COVID-19 guidance is lifted.
Free Covid tests officially ended for millions of people today as England moves to the next stage of 'living with Covid'.
Children were subjected to all manner of unevidenced and harmful interventions during the pandemic, not least of which was frequent testing. We must now prioritise their recovery and ensure it never happens again.
As the UK ends its remaining Covid travel rules and restrictions, here are other countries that got there first and to where UK citizens can now travel in the normal pre-pandemic way.
All remaining U.K. Covid travel restrictions including passenger locator forms and tests for the unvaccinated could be scrapped in days under plans being considered by ministers.
Boris Johnson will address MPs about the lifting of restrictions at 4:30pm. However, there was a glitch this morning owing to a reported standoff between Rishi Sunak and Sajid Javid over the end of free testing.
Free PCR and possibly also lateral flow tests will be axed within weeks as part of the PM's plan to live with Covid, though tests are likely to stay free for vulnerable people and within hospitals and high-risk settings.
Testing has been suspended at a lab in Wolverhampton given £120 million by the Government after an investigation by the Competition and Markets Authority found workers fighting and apparently drinking while on shift.
PCR Covid tests for travel will be scrapped from October 22nd, in time for half-term holidays – but only for those who have been fully vaccinated.
