Covid: England lockdown rules to end on 19 July, Sajid Javid says

England will move to the final stage of easing Covid restrictions on 19 July, the health secretary has confirmed.

It means almost all legal restrictions on social contact will be removed.

Sajid Javid told the Commons cases could reach 100,000 a day later in the summer but he did not believe this would put "unsustainable pressure on the NHS".

Vaccinations had created a "protective wall", which would mean "we can withstand a summer wave" he added.

Mr Javid said now was the right time to get the nation "closer to normal life".

"To those who say why take this step now, I say if not now when?" he said, adding that a further delay would risk pushing the virus towards winter when it would have an advantage.

"There will never be a perfect time to take this step because we simply cannot eradicate this virus - whether we like it or not, coronavirus is not going away."

It means that from 19 July, the legal requirement to wear face coverings in some enclosed public places will be lifted in England, there will no longer be any limits on how many people can meet and the 1m-plus distancing rule will be removed.

However, Mr Javid said face coverings were still "expected and recommended" in crowded indoor areas.

Nightclubs will also be allowed to reopen and capacity limits will be removed for all venues and events.

But the health secretary said businesses and large events would be encouraged to use Covid status certification - so-called domestic vaccine passports - in "high-risk settings".

These would allow people to show whether they are double-jabbed, have had a negative test result or have natural immunity after recovering from Covid-19, using the NHS app.

Mr Javid said it was important people should act with "caution and with personal responsibility".

For example, he said people should return to work "gradually" if they are currently working from home and "should try to meet people outside where possible".

Freedom Day, as it has been dubbed, is on.

But make no mistake this is not where England - and the rest of the UK for that matter - hoped it would be.

Hospital admissions will almost certainly rise above 1,000 a day in the coming weeks - similar to what the NHS would see in the depths of winter for all types of respiratory infection.

It's not enough to overwhelm the NHS, but it does mean less non-Covid care.

However, infection rates were always going to rise at this point of the unlocking and so the big question is when and at what point this wave will peak.

There's huge uncertainty about this. Small things can make a big difference, including how people behave.

That's why government scientists have pushed behind the scenes for ministers to change tone on mask-wearing in crowded indoor places - if nothing else it reinforces the message that infection rates still do matter.

But those same scientists are also in broad agreement that now is the best time, rather than wait until the autumn when other viruses like flu begin to circulate.

The decision is a gamble, but it's a calculated one, they say.

The requirement to self-isolate if you are contacted by NHS Test and Trace will remain in place until 16 August, when it will be relaxed for people who are fully vaccinated and for the under-18s. If someone tests positive for the virus they will still be legally required to self-isolate.

Wales is due to review its restrictions on 15 July, while Scotland is expected to move to level 0 - the lowest level of restrictions in its roadmap - on 19 July and lift most legal restrictions on 9 August. Northern Ireland is due to ease some Covid measures on 26 July.