Freedom Day is nearly here, and a whole host of rule changes are set to be introduced as lockdown comes to an end.
Despite alarm from experts about case numbers, the government is insisting that the low number of hospital admissions means the day can go ahead.
Health Secretary Sajid Javid is currently isolating due to catching Covid – as are the Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Chancellor Rishi Sunak after coming into contact with him.
Read on to find out all the rule changes after July 19.
What rules change after Freedom Day?
On July 19, we reach the final stage of the lockdown roadmap. Earlier in the month, Boris Johnson confirmed the following changes in England:
- Face masks will no longer be mandatory, but the public are urged to consider continuing to wear them to protect others. In Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, face covering rules remain in place
- Nightclubs can reopen for the first time since March 2020
- Concert and festival venues can reopen for live music and similar events
- Stadiums that weren’t a part of a research pilot scheme can reopen for sports events
- Social distancing rules will be scrapped
- Ordering restrictions at bar and restaurants will no longer be in place, nor will the requirement to scan a QR code upon arrival
- The ‘rule of six’ for indoor meetings will no longer apply
- Weddings, funerals, and care home visits won’t have attendance limits
- ‘Work from home’ guidance will no longer be in place
- ‘School bubbles’ will no longer be required, with children only having to self-isolate if they test positive or are pinged by the Test and Trace app.
Self-isolation rules will not change on July 19, although there will be a shift just under a month later.
Health Secretary Sajid Javid has announced that fully vaccinated adults, and children under 18, won’t have to self-isolate from August 16 onwards (unless they test positive for Covid).
He described the move as key for ‘maintaining the freedoms that are so important to us all.’
Covid vaccine passports are not currently needed to gain entry into venues, but its thought ministers may be considering their introduction.
Customers would be required to show documentation proving they’ve had either both doses of the vaccine or a negative test result before entering public spaces like pubs.
It is hoped the system will increase vaccine uptake among younger people, who are believed to be behind a rise in cases.
Recent figures show the number of people receiving their first doses has halved in two weeks.
Will case numbers increase after Freedom Day?
The infectiousness of the Delta variant means that case numbers have been rising – but as most adults have now been vaccinated, deaths are lower.
In mid-July, UK daily rates passed 50,000 for the first time since January, with Professor Chris Witty warning that the country is ‘not out of the woods yet’.
The highest number of daily cases the UK has recorded so far is 68,053 on January 8.
The ONS says the percentage of people testing positive has “continued to increase” in England and Scotland, whereas the “trend is uncertain” in Wales and Northern Ireland.
It’s thought the numbers will continue to rise, and while hospitalisations remain low, many businesses are facing staff shortages as employees self-isolate.
The R rate in England is currently between 1.2 to 1.4, with a growth rate of around +4% to +7%. The most recent data can be found on the government website.
Will there be another lockdown?
Boris Johnson has claimed that the move out of lockdown will be ‘irreversible’ – meaning there can’t be another.
Given that case numbers are expected to increase, however, the Prime Minister has said that the government may have to ‘retain contingency measures to help manage the virus during higher risk periods, such as the winter.’
Nonetheless, Health Secretary Sajid Javid has spoken of his confidence ahead of the final unlocking, saying ‘there’s no going back’.
Over 1000 scientists signed a letter in journal The Lancet saying that unlocking on July 19 is ‘unethical’, and poses a threat to the rest of the world.
Whether rising case numbers means there will be another lockdown remains to be seen.
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