London: Millions of Britons will be freed from having to isolate for 14 days following contact with people who have tested positive for COVID-19 if new rapid tests conducted daily show they are not infectious themselves.
The change would apply to the case of Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who had to deliver his statement confirming an end to England’s national lockdown via a faulty video link from his Downing Street flat where he is self-isolating after coming into contact with a fellow MP who has contracted the virus.
Johnson recovered from a near-death experience after contracting coronavirus in April.
The Prime Minister told the Commons that he would end the lockdown imposed on England next Wednesday, but said it would be replaced with a toughened three-tier set of restrictions.
He said mass testing and then vaccines next year would provide the route out of the pandemic.
“Next year we will succeed … but the hard truth is we are not there yet.” he said.
“We’re not going to replace national measures with a free-for-all. No one wants to throw away the gains of lockdown. We must keep transmission down.”
Johnson said Britain had a new tool at its disposal – rapid COVID-19 tests. Under the winter plan, those who come into contact with positive cases will be tested daily and only have to self-isolate if they are positive, instead of quarantining for two weeks regardless of whether they have the virus or not.
The rapid tests, capable of returning results in 30 minutes, will be rolled out after successful trials in Liverpool, and surge testing capacity will be offered to local authorities experiencing concentrated outbreaks.
But he conceded this method was “untried”.
“There are many unknowns. But if it works, we should be able to offer people who test negative the prospect of greater freedoms – to meet up in certain contexts with others who have tested negative,” he said.
Next year we will succeed … but the hard truth is we are not there yet
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson
The efficacy of the rapid testing poses another potential issue. A recent article published by the British Medical Journal suggested the type of test the government planned to use may miss half of cases, even if it’s useful for identifying people with highest viral loads.
“Even though it won’t detect as many infected individuals as the PCR [polymerase chain reaction] test, it will identify those with the highest viral loads, and it’s those people who are most likely to go on to infect others,” the BMJ quoted University of Nottingham molecular virology professor Jonathan Ball as saying.
Authorities in Britain have struggled to encourage and enforce compliance with many of the coronavirus restrictions, including the two-week quarantine requirement and the ban on mixing indoors and meeting no more than one person outdoors.
However, there has been a 23 per cent drop in the number of positive cases identified across the UK compared to seven days ago, and the reinfection rate is now between 1 and 1.1 compared to 1.3 when the latest lockdown began.
More than 55,000 people have died after testing positive for coronavirus across the UK and the number of deaths in the past week – 2225 – was the highest weekly tally since May.
MPs welcomed the unlocking to begin next Wednesday, but Labour Leader Keir Starmer warned that the tiered system was “risky” because it had led to the current second lockdown.
Under all tiers, gyms, shops, leisure and personal care services will be allowed to resume trade and international travel permitted. Groups of up to six people can meet outdoors under all tiers but only under the lowest tier will groups of six be allowed to mix indoors.
Under the plan masks are compulsory, indoors and in public transport.
And in a boost for the arts and sport, up to 4000 people will be allowed to attend outdoor games and 1000 to attend performances indoors under the most relaxed set of rules.
Hospitality can reopen and the 10pm curfew has been pushed back to 11pm with last orders at 10pm, but under the toughest tier, restaurants and bars will be limited to providing just takeaway.
The Prime Minister’s statement to the Commons came just hours after British researchers working with pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca confirmed that their vaccine trials had been successful in stopping severe cases and stopping some transmission.
Johnson said while the scientific cavalry of vaccines and rapid testing was coming to rescue Britain – which has Europe’s highest death toll – more personal sacrifices would be required over the cold months, including Christmas.
“We all want some kind of Christmas, we need it, we certainly deserve it, but what we don’t want is to throw caution to the winds and allow the virus to flare up again, forcing us all back into lockdown in January,” he said.
He said the governments of Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales were working together to enable a plan to allow families to reunite for Christmas.
But he urged families to make “careful judgements” about visiting elderly relatives.
