Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said the UK is on the verge of being able to ease most measures in place to combat Covid-19, after a successful vaccination program and a decline in infections.
However, on Sky News’s “Sophie Ridge Sunday”, Raab said people should still take precautions with social media.
When asked why two fully vaccinated adults from different families are still unable to incubate, he said “we have to gauge very carefully” how things develop as the UK works its way through a roadmap to open up the economy.
The government wants to avoid missteps
“We’re very close now to winning the game on Pandemic and I think we still need to be careful as we go forward,” said Raab. We don’t want to see lost profits and sacrifices undone. I know people want to move forward a little faster, but I really believe that taking firm steps is the smart way forward. ”
Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government has been resisting calls from ruling Conservative Party members to speed up the relaxation of rules that have been in place for the past 13 months as the UK emerges from its third lockdown due to the coronavirus.
The executive’s plan to open up the economy foresees a further relaxation on May 17 and then June 21.
Trajectory change in the second wave
With the UK experiencing one of the worst deaths from the pandemic to date, the Johnson administration has also implemented one of its most successful vaccination programs, with more than 34 million adults receiving at least one dose of the vaccine.
This helped reverse the second wave of the pandemic in the country, with daily deaths falling to 7 on Saturday, from more than 1,300 at its peak in January.
Return to normal at the end of June
Raab warned that some restrictions may still be required after the end of June, although the government schedule suggests “no legal restrictions” on social contact after June 21.
“We want to reach a site by the end of June where we can restore life to as close to normal as possible, but some measures will still be needed,” Raab told the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show.
When asked about the type of measurements, he replied, “In particular, I think it’s about the dimension and maybe there is something about the masks.”
The UK authorities are also studying ways to ease the requirements for people with coronavirus to self-isolate. On Sunday, Public Health England announced a rapid test to see if the 10-day self-isolation requirement can be replaced by daily coronavirus testing.
“It’s just one of the tools, along with the vaccine, that we’re looking closely at to make sure we’re taking steps to get out of this lockdown, and get back to normal, in a safe way,” Raab said.
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