All Covid restrictions to be lifted in England and Wales

The prime minister has this afternoon confirmed that all long-term coronavirus rules will be lifted.

Under the new ‘Living with Covid’ strategy legal requirements to self-isolate will end on 24 February and contact tracing will also be scrapped.

From 1 April free testing will be free only for the elderly and clinically vulnerable.

“We don’t need laws to compel people to be considerate to others,” Johnson told MPs. “We can rely on that sense of responsibility towards one another, providing practical advice in the knowledge that people will follow it to avoid infecting loved ones and others.”

“So let us learn to live with this virus and continue protecting ourselves and others without restricting our freedoms,” he went on.

He also emphasised that the “heavy cost” of such restrictions could not be justified given the efficacy of the UK’s vaccine program.

Earlier today health secretary Sajid Javid announced plans to offer a fourth Covid vaccine dose to over-75s, those living in adult care homes and the clinically vulnerable.