U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced Wednesday that all remaining coronavirus restrictions in England, including COVID-positive self-isolation requirements, could be lifted in February.
“Provided the current encouraging trends in the data continue, it is my expectation that we will be able to end the last domestic restrictions — including the legal requirement to self-isolate if you test positive — a full month early,” Johnson said during Wednesday’s Prime Minister’s Questions.
The current expiration date for the restrictions is March 24, so on Johnson’s new timetable England could return to pre-pandemic levels of freedom in just over two weeks.
Currently, anyone who tests positive for coronavirus should isolate for a minimum of five days. This rule applies to vaccinated as well as unvaccinated people.
After battling a wave of Omicron, the U.K. has seen a decline in case numbers, now at the lowest seven-day average since mid-December.