Social distancing to be scrapped 'definitely' on July 19 amid rising Covid numbers

ONE METRE social distancing rule will definitely be scrapped on July 19, media reports said citing government sources, even if the Freedom Day plan gets altered again due to the rise in Covid cases. The news came amid rising numbers which are said to be at their highest level since early April, Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures suggest, though experts claim that the vaccination programme is making a significant difference.

Prime minister Boris Johnson is determined to scrap the one-metre rule on July 19 even if other Covid measures have to stay in place, Cabinet sources claimed on Thursday (24), with multiple sources claiming that social distancing rule will definitely be removed.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak has urged Johnson to prioritise the removal of the one-metre rule, which continues to cripple the hospitality and arts sector by reducing the capacity in venues to unsustainable levels. Some ministers are reportedly getting jittery about the prospect of sanctioning a full reopening against the backdrop of rising cases, which officials fear may hit 30,000 a day within a fortnight. 

“Things are looking good for July 19, as the Prime Minister has said. My strong expectation is we can lift these major restrictions then and get back to normal,” Sunak said.

Although there is no communication about the delay or change in plans about lifting of all restrictions on July 19, multiple media outlets have reported that officials are now drawing up contingency plans in case only a partial lifting is possible on that date, which is expected to include wearing face masks in certain settings, such as public transport and crowded shops.

Guidance on working from home may also remain in place until the autumn, despite both the PM and Chancellor reportedly wanting to remove it.

Public queue to receive a dose of a Covid-19 vaccine outside a temporary vaccination centre set up a the Emirates Stadium, home to Arsenal football club, in north London on June 25, 2021 (Photo by DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS / AFP) via Getty Images)

Meanwhile, the number of coronavirus cases in the UK has risen by 44 per cent in a week as 16,703 more people tested positive for the virus in the past 24 hours while 21 people died within 28 days of testing positive, bringing the country total death toll to 128,048, as per the latest figures.

The highest rate is among 20 to 29 year olds followed by 10 to 19-year-olds. Hospitalisations and deaths, which are now seen as the key figures, both remain low.

Liverpool, Dundee City, South Ayrshire, North Lanarkshire and Manchester are the five areas that have been marked as hotspots which are still showing high "prevalence rates",  as per ZOE Covid Study (ZOE). 

Despite the numbers, outbreak is slowing in most of the regions across the country with the biggest slowdowns seen in London and the South West, where Covid's speed of growth halved in the past week.