UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson today announced further relaxations of the Covid-induced restrictions, even as he urged the citizens to remain cautious.
Britain moved to Step 4 of the roadmap, which means the majority of Covid restrictions have now ended, replaced with guidance emphasising personal judgement and responsibility.
"People are expected to protect themselves and others through informed choice and move to Step 4 cautiously, " said a statement from the PM's office.
Johnson also called for all adults who have not yet received their first or second dose of the vaccine to come forward, to help protect themselves and others.
All over 18s are now able to book a vaccine, and nearly 60 percent of under 25s have received at least one dose. Young adults can be key drivers of transmission and are urged to come forward for both doses, the statement said.
Data from PHE suggests that one dose of either the Pfizer-BioNTech or Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine is 80% effective against hospitalisations with the Delta variant, increasing to 96% after two doses.
The Prime Minister has emphasised the need to remain cautious as restrictions are lifted.
The pandemic is not yet over and moving to step 4 is a balance of risks. Cases across the UK and Europe are increasing, and the threat of a new variant remains.
The move to step 4 was delayed by four weeks so more adults could be vaccinated. Nearly 8 million vaccines have been administered during the delay.
Over two-thirds of all adults have received two doses and every adult has been offered the first dose.
Johnson has set out a five-point plan for living with COVID as restrictions are eased.
Reinforce vaccine defences by reducing the dosing interval from 12 to 8 weeks for all adults.
The majority of legal restrictions have been lifted and replaced with guidance to enable people to make their own informed decisions to manage the virus, emphasising caution and personal responsibility as cases continue to rise.
The test, trace and isolate system will remain, with all positive cases legally required to self-isolate. Contacts of positive cases are required to self-isolate until August 16, after which adults who have received two vaccine doses and all under 18s will be exempt.
