BRITISH Prime Minister Boris Johnson delivered the news yesterday evening that the people of England had been expecting since last week – ‘Freedom Day’ would have to wait a while longer.

Mr Johnson told the UK that the profile of Covid-19 meant that the UK Government would delay the easing of the final restrictions on social contact by four weeks, until July 19.

This decision was taken largely due to the spread of the Delta, or Indian, variant causing a surge in cases in recent weeks. It has now become the dominant strain in the UK and is believed to be up to 60pc more transmissible than the UK or Kent variant, which is now the dominant strain in Ireland.

Why has ‘Freedom Day’ been put on hold?

Essentially, it is to give the NHS four more weeks to vaccinate, and importantly, fully vaccinate as many people as possible. Studies have shown that one jab of a two-jab vaccine is not as effective in preventing illness from the Delta variant when compared to previous dominant strains.

Public Health England claim that a single dose of any vaccine is just 33pc effective against the Delta variant, meaning two-thirds of people with one dose would likely still develop symptomatic Covid-19 should they contract the virus.

Efficacy goes to 88pc for people protected with two doses of Pfizer, while it is over 60pc for people with two doses of AstraZeneca – which has done the lion’s share of the work in the UK’s rollout.

Analysis by The Guardian has shown that two-thirds of English people are insufficiently protected against the Delta variant and that despite a successful rollout thus far, more time is needed to give ample protection to enough people to justify the final unlocking of society.

What freedoms have English people got at the moment?

England is currently on step three of its four-step plan to reopen. Many freedoms were returned in this step, which began on May 17. Groups of up to 30 people can meet outdoors, up to six people can meet indoors, while indoor dining and drinking also returned.

All indoor entertainment facilities and exercise areas were allowed to reopen while large, organised, outdoor gatherings are also starting to return, with fans attending matches and concerts for the last month.

The government had hoped to open nightclubs and other remaining establishments as well as relax all remaining restrictions on social contact on June 21, but this is now delayed by four weeks. This will seriously hinder the entertainment industry that had been banking on more attendees at shows and concerts.

Can people travel from the UK to Ireland at the present time?

Yes, but it is about to become harder. Transport Minister Eamon Ryan today said that cabinet will double the quarantine period for all arrivals from the UK from five to 10 days.

These arrivals will also have to produce two negative PCR results before they can end their self-quarantine. This is required by law and will likely deter many travellers from the UK.

This can be done at a designated address and does not have to be a mandatory hotel quarantine.

Minister Ryan said the 10-day quarantine will run until July 19 when Ireland’s ban on non-essential international travel is lifted, but will be “reviewed” as that date approaches, with no guarantee it is lifted.

He said it was a “cautious” approach but one aimed at keeping the Delta variant at bay for as long as possible.

Minister Ryan said the spread of the Delta variant in the UK was a “concern” here in Ireland, but thus far Ireland has had a “small number” of Delta variant cases, largely concentrated in the east of the country, with some in the south.

Approximately 140 cases of the variant have been identified so far in Ireland, but this is with a two-week reporting delay due to the demands of whole genome sequencing to identify cases.

Can I travel to Belfast without quarantine?

Unless the purpose of the journey is essential, such as for work purposes, it is against the law to travel outside the Republic of Ireland under Covid restrictions, which includes Northern Ireland.

If someone is found to have travelled outside of the Republic of Ireland for non-essential reasons, they can be subject to fines and will be asked to quarantine at home and produce a negative test result after 10 days.

There have been over 100 cases of the Delta variant identified in Northern Ireland, with estimates projecting one in four new cases in Northern Ireland are the highly infectious strain.

Dr Frances O'Hagan, deputy chair of the British Medical Association in Northern Ireland, said: “With this variant, one person is infecting six people on average, so that's why it's much more easily spread.”