However, the Covid-19 pandemic is “not over”

Following the prime minister’s announcements, the top scientific and medical advisers did warn that Covid can be expected to return in more virulent and dangerous forms.

Sir Chris Whitty and Sir Patrick Vallance told a Downing Street press conference that the Covid-19 pandemic was “not over” and urged people testing positive to continue to isolate.

“As we look at the next weeks, we still have high rates of Omicron and I would urge people in terms of public health advice, and this is very much the Government’s position, that people should still if they have Covid try to prevent other people getting it and that means self-isolating,” Whitty said at the briefing.

“It would have been the public health advice, and will be the public health advice, for multiple other diseases. If you had Norovirus we would give exactly the same public health advice. So this is standard public health advice for a significant and highly transmissible infection.”

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