Leader - Vigilance essential as restrictions eased

Boris Johnson is expected to repeal all pandemic regulations that restrict public freedoms in England when he lays out his vision for the future today.

The Prime Minister took to the airwaves yesterday to announce that, in his view, it is now time for the UK to shift the balance away from “state mandation” in the battle against coronavirus.

Shortly after he had set out this aim, Buckingham Palace revealed the Queen has tested positive for coronavirus and is suffering “mild cold-like symptoms”.

The 95-year-old monarch, who is believed to be fully vaccinated, had been in contact with her eldest son and heir, the Prince of Wales, who tested positive last week.

The Queen, photographed at Sandringham earlier this month, has tested positive for coronavirus and is experiencing "mild cold-like symptoms". Photo: Joe Giddens/PA Wire

The Queen’s condition is a stark reminder that, although the threat posed by Covid has receded to the point where Mr Johnson feels able to lift all restrictions, case numbers remain worryingly high.

Everybody wants to the see an end to the pandemic and no one doubts that at some point restrictions in place to mitigate against the virus must come to an end.

But – as Mr Johnson himself noted – we must remain vigilant. “I think it’s very important we should remain careful,” he said. “We’re certainly not asking people to throw caution to the winds. Covid remains a dangerous disease, particularly if you haven't been vaccinated.”

However, the SNP’s leader at Westminster, Ian Blackford, has warned against ending the free provision of testing.

He wrote on Twitter yesterday: “Any changes to testing must be guided by expert public health advice via CMOs (chief medical officers) – not imposed on a whim to appease Tory backbenchers gunning for Boris Johnson. ”

There has been no shortage of surprises in the course of the pandemic and it would be foolish to imagine there are no more to come.

Scientists simply cannot predict whether or when a new strain will emerge that is far more deadly than Omicron.

As former Prime Minister Gordon Brown noted earlier this month, countries such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo have vaccinated fewer than 1 per cent of their populations. There can be no room for complacency until global vaccine inequality has been rectified.