Legal requirement to self-isolate after positive Covid test ends Thursday, Boris Johnson confirms

The legal requirement to self-isolate after a positive Covid test in England will end on Thursday, Boris Johnson has confirmed today.

Addressing the Commons this afternoon, the Prime Minister announced that vaccinated contacts of positive cases will no longer be asked to test for seven days and there will no longer be a legal requirement for close contacts who are not vaccinated to self-isolate.

However, those who test positive for the virus will still be encouraged to follow the guidance to stay at home.

Johnson also confirmed that free Covid testing will end on April 1st.

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And one month on (March 24th), the government will remove the COVID provisions attached to statutory sick pay.

The Prime Minister said the plan will see the country moving from ‘government restrictions to personal responsibility’, saying ministers and scientific experts will continue to ‘track the virus in granular detail’, including through the Office for National Statistics survey.

He acknowledged that the cost of the pandemic has been huge but ‘we do not have to pay the price any longer’. 

He said: “With the population protected by vaccines and the capabilities to respond rapidly to a resurgence or new variants, it’s time we got our confidence back.

“We don’t need laws to compel people to be considerate to others” and can instead rely on their “sense of responsibility.”

This is all part of the government’s ‘living with Covid plan’, which will eventually see the axing of all restrictions. 

Speaking ahead of his announcement on Saturday, Johnson said: “Today will mark a moment of pride after one of the most difficult periods in our country’s history as we begin to learn to live with Covid.

“It would not be possible without the efforts of so many – the NHS who delivered the life-saving vaccine rollout at phenomenal speed, our world-leading scientists and experts, and the general public for their commitment to protecting themselves and their loved ones.

“The pandemic is not over but thanks to the incredible vaccine rollout we are now one step closer towards a return to normality and finally giving people back their freedoms while continuing to protect ourselves and others.”