The end of remaining coronavirus rules in England on 16 August for those fully vaccinated is “nailed on”, the prime minister says.
In an interview with radio station LBC, Boris Johnson said no review was needed before lifting the last restrictions.
From 16 August, fully-vaccinated people will no longer have to self-isolate if a contact tests positive for Covid.
Mr Johnson said the recent data – which showed daily cases had fallen for seven days in a row – was encouraging.
But he added: “It is far, far too early to draw any general conclusions.
“The most important thing is for people to recognise that the current situation still calls for a lot of caution and for people just to remember that the virus is still out there, a lot of people have got it, it still presents a significant risk.”
Have we passed the peak and can we relax?
UK Covid cases fall for seventh day in a row
How many people have been vaccinated so far?
Which workers don’t have to self-isolate?
No quarantine for fully jabbed EU and US arrivals
The daily number of cases had been falling, but that decline ended on Wednesday, with a further 27,734 cases reported.
This figure was nonetheless down significantly on last Wednesday, when 44,104 cases were reported.
Experts have warned that it is still too early to see the impact – if any – of the ending of England’s lockdown on 19 July.
The next date to remove remaining restrictions in England is 16 August, when people who are double-jabbed – as well as unvaccinated under-18s – will not need to self-isolate if they come into contact with a positive case.
Instead they will be encouraged to take a PCR test, though Health Secretary Sajid Javid has said this will not be a legal requirement.
Currently, everyone has to self-isolate if contacted by NHS Test and Trace, unless they’re on a list of critical workers. Anyone “pinged” by the app and told to self-isolate is advised – but not legally obliged – to self-isolate.
Scotland is set to lift all remaining rules on 9 August, while in Wales the date is 7 August. Northern Ireland will review its rules again on 12 August.
Vaccine rates
Array
