Ending England's Covid rules is either "very brave or very stupid", scientists have said, as more than half of people say they're uncomfortable spending time with someone with Covid-19.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been accused of playing "fast and loose with people’s health" in bid to quell rumblings within government and among Tory backbenchers.
But is the sentiment that it's time for self-isolation rules to be scrapped shared by the general population here in Wales, where isolating remains a legal requirement, or are we all actually quite content to keep it up?
Read more: Covid in Wales: Key dates as Mark Drakeford moves to phase out masks and Covid passes
According to the latest YouGov poll Britons aren't comfortable with the idea of being around someone who has Covid-19 – either indoors or outdoors – even though the legal rule to self-isolate potentially ends in the coming weeks (possibly too in Wales where it's been suggested it could become 'guidance' instead).
When it comes to meeting someone with Covid indoors 70% would be uncomfortable doing so. While meeting a positive contact outdoors makes 63% of people feel uncomfortable.
The younger age groups are more comfortable with the idea of socialising or working indoors with someone who's tested positive for Covid. Nearly 20% of people aged 18-24 are "fairly comfortable" with the idea compared to 11% of those aged 65-plus.
According to the latest ONS data nearly 80% of us complied with self-isolation rules over the New Year despite the fact a third of adults admitting that self-isolation had a negative effect on their wellbeing and mental health.
We're well-used to self-isolating by now – it was one of the first measures brought in at the start of the pandemic to stop the spread of the virus and experts say it's one of the "fundamental principles of public health". Gradually the period required for self-isolation has dropped from 10 days to seven and now five. You can read more on that here.
The UK has always attracted criticism in terms of its self-isolation advice. In April 2020 the British Medical Journal called for the government to publish the evidence behind the UK’s guidance on self-isolation, which said that people who develop symptoms of Covid-19 need only isolate for seven days.
Seven days was far shorter than the period recommended by the World Health Organisation, which stated that people should only end self-isolation 14 days after their symptoms had resolved.
By ditching self-isolation rules two years on are we effectively saying the pandemic is over? Or is Mr Johnson's decision a political one rather than a public health decision?
Take our survey on the topic and give us your view:
Admittedly it's hard to find any expert supporting the move with leading scientists claiming they weren't even consulted.
Professor John Edmunds, an influential member of Sage, was asked by ITV’s Robert Person if the Prime Minister "has had scientific advice that this is sensible".
The professor replied: "I don’t know. We haven’t discussed it there [at Sage]."
And last week the director general of the WHO cautioned: "It’s premature for any country either to surrender or to declare victory [over Covid]". Arguably Boris Johnson has declared victory but also effectively surrendered to Covid by accepting that people will continue to get infected.
It's an approach which ignores a "cornerstone of public health", said former WHO official Anthony Costello. He reacted to the PM's announcement and said: "Isolation of a person with a dangerous infection is a cornerstone of public health science. Yesterday 294 people in the UK and over 2,000 in the USA died from Covid. The PM/Javid idea to end isolation is criminally negligent. Whitty/Vallance must say so."
But Mr Johnson is determined that the UK must now learn to live with Covid. Speaking in the Commons on Wednesday the Prime Minister said he wanted to bring an end to self-isolation rules in England a month earlier than had previously been planned, which was March 24.
In a surprise announcement just before Prime Minister's Questions, he said: "I can tell the house today that it is my intention to return on the first day after the half-term recess to present our strategy for living with Covid.
"Providing the current encouraging trends in the data continue it is my intention we will be able to the last domestic restrictions, including the legal restriction to self-isolate if you test positive, a full month early."
Prof Edmunds warned the plan was "dangerous" and could lead to a spike in infections. He said: "This is one of the most important measures [to stop transmission]. In terms of its impact on society as a whole it’s quite small because you are only asking people who are currently infectious to stay at home so it’s the measure that has, if you like, the most bang for your buck in terms of its disruption and epidemiological impact."
And criticising the move over the border Wales' economy minister said the PM's decision was made "without any scientific evidence". Speaking to BBC Breakfast on Friday morning Vaughan Gething said: "I was fairly surprised at the manner of announcement made by the Prime Minister and indeed the fact that there doesn't appear to be an underpinning of public health advice.
"There was no meeting between chief medical officers in advance of the Prime Minister's statement. I've not seen advice from Sage on this or indeed scientific evidence underpinning what's happened to any other source here in Wales.
"The choices we are making today have gotten us through that process. Our scientific expert advisers, Public Health Wales, and the chief medical officer will be publishing his advice as well to support the approach that we're taking."
After two years of the coronavirus pandemic and the ever-constant requirement rule for people testing positive to self-isolate it will undoubtedly take time for people to get their confidence back and their heads round the idea it's acceptable to mix with anyone – let alone with positive contacts.
A YouGov poll taken across December 20-21 last year showed that 54% of people now hug people they don't live with less than they did before the pandemic. And 64% of people keep a social distance from people they don't live with much more than they did before Covid.
The proposal to end self-isolation rules was criticised by disability charities with Scope saying it would mean some people with high-risk conditions would feel very anxious and "could potentially be placed in situations that could prove deadly".
James Taylor from Scope said: "Nobody should be forced to gamble with their lives and we need the government to explain to disabled people how they'll be safe when this decision is introduced."
Virologist Dr Stephen Griffin, of the University of Leeds, said the move to scrap self-isolation "goes against all the fundamental principles of public health". He told Sky News on Thursday: "It seems that the government has completely abandoned any concern about people becoming infected.
"For a great number of people that may well be okay. But a considerable minority of our population can’t just move on from this."
Dr Simon Clarke, of the University of Reading, told BBC Radio Four that nobody can be certain of the full consequences of scrapping self-isolation but it will be "either very brave or very stupid".
He warned that the pandemic, and the impact on our health care system, is not yet over – pointing to the millions of people suffering with long-term Covid symptoms.
In other parts of the world countries such as Germany and France still have a 10-day isolation period in place although in France that can be reduced to five days with a negative test. Russia’s isolation period is now seven days.
In the US health officials have also halved the isolation time for people with asymptomatic Covid from 10 to five days.
Denmark appears to have some of the most relaxed isolation rules at present with people allowed to leave the house four days after they test positive providing they no longer have symptoms.
The change in England will be a technical legal issue. Under the proposed rules Covid will be treated in a similar way to flu, with guidance to stay at home but no penalties for going to shops, work, or school.
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