Sajid Javid has said the Government will launch a consultation on ending vaccination as a condition of deployment in health and social care settings.
The Health Secretary announced the latest Government U-turn on Monday, following pressure from the health service, the care industry and MPs over fears it would lead to a major staffing crisis.
Throughout the pandemic, Government advice has shifted on a range of issues, including testing and infection-prevention guidance, resulting in anger and confusion.
Here is a summary of some of the different twists and turns Government advice for England has taken:
– March 12 2020: Community testing abandoned
At the start of the pandemic, the NHS said a “significant expansion” of testing was being undertaken to “ramp up” facilities so that 10,000 coronavirus tests could be performed a day.
But a day later England’s chief medical officer, Professor Chris Whitty, said only those at hospitals would be formally tested.
Essential workers and their households became eligible for testing at the end of April, with this expanded to all people aged five and over with symptoms, in the middle of May.
– July 14: Face coverings must be worn in shops
About four months after England went into its first lockdown, face coverings became mandatory for shop customers.
The Government was initially reluctant to enforce the wearing of face coverings, with experts warning they could give a false sense of security and improper use could increase the spread of infection.
They were made mandatory for travelling on public transport in England in June, but it was not until July, after weeks of mixed messaging, that they were required inside shops.
– August 25: Face masks required in schools
Then-education secretary Gavin Williamson performed a U-turn when he announced face coverings would be required for secondary pupils and staff in communal areas of schools in local lockdown areas of England. This was despite him previously insisting they were not required.
The new advice came a day after a Number 10 spokesman said there were no plans to review the guidance.
– September 22: Return-to-work advice scrapped
Plans to get employees back into their workplace in a bid to boost the struggling economy were scrapped, with Prime Minister Boris Johnson telling office staff to work from home if they could.
The Prime Minister had led calls for staff to return to work in response to concerns that cafes and other businesses which rely on demand from commuters and office workers were facing ruin.
But a rise in coronavirus cases forced him to change the advice.
– October 31: Second lockdown announced
A month-long second national lockdown for England was announced by Mr Johnson, after a system of tiered restrictions in England failed to control rising case numbers.
It had been hoped the tiers would tackle a second wave of coronavirus, while avoiding the economic damage of a full circuit-break.
– December 14: Local restrictions changed early
Two days before a planned review of the coronavirus tier system on December 16, then-health secretary Matt Hancock placed London and parts of Essex and Hertfordshire into the highest tier of restrictions.
The announcement moved almost 10.8 million people into Tier 3.
– December 19: Christmas cancelled for millions
Less than a week before Christmas Day, Mr Johnson announced that south-east England would move into a new Tier 4, scuppering the festive plans of millions.
The affected areas had to spend two weeks, covering the Christmas and new year period, following rules similar to the November lockdown.
The Christmas bubble policy previously announced by the Government was curtailed and was applied only to Christmas Day, for people living elsewhere in the country.
– July 18 2021: Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak not forced to self-isolate
Number 10 announced the Prime Minister and Chancellor Rishi Sunak had been contacted by NHS Test and Trace, but would not be isolating as they were taking part in a pilot workplace contact-tracing scheme.
The news caused a furious backlash online from members of the Labour Party, including then-shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth and deputy leader Angela Rayner, who accused the Government of being “above the law”.
But in a dramatic turnaround just three hours later, Downing Street said the men would be self-isolating after all, rather than taking part in the daily contact testing pilot.
– September 12 2021: Plans for vaccine passports scrapped
Health Secretary Sajid Javid says the Government “will not be going ahead” with plans for the controversial vaccine passports, following backlash from some Tory MPs.
Plans had been announced that members of the public would be required to show proof they have had two doses of a Covid-19 vaccine in order to gain entry to clubs and other large-scale events in England.
But Mr Javid told the BBC’s The Andrew Marr Show he’d “never liked the idea”.
“We’ve looked at it properly and whilst we should keep it in reserve as a potential option, I’m pleased to say that we will not be going ahead with plans for vaccine passports,” he said.
– January 31 2022: Compulsory vaccination for NHS and care workers dropped
Ministers had been facing pressure to put back the requirement for staff in England to be double jabbed by April amid fears it would lead to a major staffing crisis, with Mr Javid telling MPs last week that about 77,000 NHS workers remain unvaccinated against coronavirus.
The requirement for care home staff to have two doses came into force last November.
Frontline NHS and wider social care staff would need their first dose by Thursday in order to be double jabbed by April 1.
