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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Politics
Lizzy Buchan

Health Secretary Sajid Javid to lead 5pm Downing Street Covid press conference

Health Secretary Sajid Javid will lead a Downing Street press conference later today.

Mr Javid will give a Covid briefing at 5pm, where he is expected to give further details on the Government's decision to axe Plan B restrictions.

Boris Johnson confirmed to MPs that the remaining Covid rules in England would be allowed to expire on January 26 as the peak of the Omicron wave appeared to be over.

The under-fire Prime Minister suggested the country was shifting towards living with Covid - like flu - as he battled to save his premiership.

Working from home guidance has been withdrawn today, and from Thursday, face coverings will no longer be required for pupils in school classrooms, with communal areas to follow.

Face masks in schools will be scrapped in classrooms from Thursday, January 20 (REUTERS)

Face masks will no longer be required by law in any setting from January 27 and Covid passes will no longer be mandated for large venues.

The PM told MPs: "There will soon come a time when we can remove the legal requirement to self-isolate altogether, just as we don't place legal obligations on people to isolate if they have flu.

"As Covid becomes endemic, we will need to replace legal requirements with advice and guidance, urging people with the virus to be careful and considerate of others."

Mr Johnson also told MPs the Government now intended to set out its "long-term strategy for living with Covid-19", adding: "Explaining how we hope and intend to protect our liberty and avoid restrictions in future by relying instead on medical advances, especially the vaccines which have already saved so many lives.

"But to make that possible we must all remain cautious during these last weeks of winter. There are still over 16,000 people in hospital in England alone.

"The pandemic is not over."

Mr Johnson announced the changes as he faced calls to step down from his own MPs, with Tory veteran David Davis telling him in the Commons: "In the name of God - go."

Speculation has been mounting over a possible leadership contest, with at least six MPs publicly declaring that they have submitted no-confidence letters.

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