Government on track to lift all Covid restrictions on 19th July

This evening, 28th June 2021, the new health secretary Sajid Javid has announced that the government is still on track for lifting all remaining Covid-19 restrictions from Monday 19th July 2021.

Stage four of the government’s roadmap out of lockdown will see all legal limits on social contact removed, with venues and events operating without capacity limits and the cap on guests at weddings lifted.

All remaining businesses will be reopened including nightclubs, and large events such as concerts and theatre performances would go ahead.

Javid said: “While we decided not to bring forward step 4, we see no reason to go beyond July 19, because, in truth, no date we choose comes with zero risk for Covid.

“We know we cannot simply eliminate it, we have to learn to live with it. We also know that people and businesses need certainty, so we want every step to be irreversible. And make no mistake, the restrictions on our freedom, they must come to an end.

“We owe it to the British people, who have sacrificed so much, to restore their freedoms as quickly as we possibly can and not to wait a moment longer than we need to. With the numbers heading in the right direction, all while we protect more and more people each day, July 19 remains our target date.

“The prime minister has called it out ‘terminus date’. For me, July 19 is not only the end of the line, but the start of an exciting new journey for our country.”