All remaining legal coronavirus restrictions in England are to be scrapped starting this week, Boris Johnson has announced.
In an address in the House of Commons, the Prime Minister said the country was now "past the peak of the Omicron wave" and must learn to "live with Covid."
"Because of the efforts we have made as a country over the past two years, we can now deal with it in a very different way, moving from Government restrictions to personal responsibility, so we protect ourselves without losing our abilities and maintaining our contingent capabilities so we can respond rapidly to any new variant" Mr Johnson said.
Here is everything that will change as a result in the coming weeks
Ending of mandatory isolation
From this Thursday (February 24) there will no longer be a legal requirement to self-isolate following a positive test.
Self-isolation support payments will also end, although Covid provisions for statutory sick pay can still be claimed for a further month.
From March 24, temporary rules giving everyone a legal right to sick pay from the first day they become ill will end. It means statutory sick pay will once again be paid when an employee is sick for a minimum of four consecutive days.
Despite the end of the legal requirement, until April 1 both adults and children continue will be advised to stay at home if they test positive.
After that "we will encourage people with Covid-19 symptoms to exercise personal responsibility, just as we encourage people who may have flu to be considerate to others" Mr Johnson said
School testing requirement scrapped
Mr Johnson said the test, trace and isolate system, which last year cost more than entire budget of the Home Office, had come at a "vast cost" and must be scaled back.
From today (February 21) the guidance for staff and students in schools and most other education and childcare settings to undertake twice-weekly asymptomatic testing will be removed.
Free tests to end
Then from April 1 when winter is over, universal symptomatic and asymptomatic testing will end for the general public.
“We will continue to provide free symptomatic tests to the oldest age groups and those most vulnerable to Covid and in line with the practice in many other countries, we’re working with retailers to ensure that everyone who wants to can buy a test.” Mr Johnson said.
End of contact tracing
Routine contact tracing will also end.
There will no longer be a legal requirement for the unvaccinated close contacts of a positive case to self-isolate.
And vaccinated close contacts will no longer be asked to test for seven days.
Whilst there will also be an end to the legal obligation for people to tell employers if they are required to self-isolate.
Council powers removed
A set of rules known as the "health protection number 3 regulations" which gave local authorities the power to close venues over a risk to health are to expire on March 24 and will now be renewed.
End of Covid certificates
From April 1, the use of voluntarily Covid status certification, where people can prove their vaccine status or show proof of a negative test, will no longer be recommended.
“The NHS app will continue to allow people to indicate their vaccination status for international travel" Mr Johnson said.
Booster jabs in the Spring for over-75s
“Targeted vaccines and treatments" will still be in place for most vulnerable people Mr Johnson.
And he said as part of "further action to guard against a possible resurgence of the virus" the government had accepted the advice of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) to offer booster jabs this Spring to those aged over 75, to older care home residents and tho those over the age of 12 with chronic long term conditions which require drugs which suppress the immune system.
