Covid isolation could be SCRAPPED altogether by March, says Boris

COVID isolation could be scrapped altogether by the end of March, Boris Johnson said today.

He told the House of Commons during PMQs from March 24 the legal requirement to isolate for positive people could be shelved.

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The PM even indicated this could happen sooner, if the data continues to look good.

Currently, people who test positive for the virus are legally obliged to isolate to protect others by not spreading it.

But just as the Plan B measures will expire next week, the PM said there will soon come a day when Brits would no longer have remain at home while infected.

He said: “As we return to Plan A, the House will know that some measures still remain, including those on self-isolation.

“In particular, it is still a legal requirement for those who have tested positive for Covid to self-isolate.

“On Monday we reduced the isolation period to five full days with two negative tests, and there will soon come a time when we can remove the legal requirement to self-isolate altogether, just as we don’t place legal obligations on people to isolate if they have flu.

“As Covid becomes endemic, we will need to replace legal requirements with advice and guidance, urging people with the virus to be careful and considerate of others.

“The self-isolation regulations expire on March 24, at which point I very much expect not to renew them.

“Indeed, were the data to allow, I’d like to seek a vote in this House to bring that date forward.”

It comes as the PM ripped up Plan B restrictions in a major statement this afternoon.

He confirmed working from home guidance and vaccine passports will be scrapped next Wednesday, with the measures set to expire.

Mask-wearing rules are likely to stay on public transport, but not by law anymore and instead recommended through guidance.

As The Sun revealed, masks in classrooms will be dropped tomorrow and scrapped entirely in schools on January 26.

Mr Johnson said: “While we must continue to remain cautious, the data are showing that time and again, this government, got the toughest decisions, right.”

Cabinet Ministers met this morning to flesh out the final changes ahead of the PM’s update to MPs at 12.30pm.

Covid cases are falling as experts grow increasingly confident the country is over the hump of Omicron.

A string of hugely positive studies show Omicron is milder than other strains in the vaccinated, with the first official UK report revealing the risk of hospitalisation is 50 to 70 per cent lower than with Delta.

Covid booster jabs protect against Omicron and offer the best chance to get through the pandemic, health officials have repeatedly said.

The Sun’s Jabs Army campaign is helping get the vital extra vaccines in Brits’ arms to ward off the need for any new restrictions.

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