Disputes delay P.M. Johnson plans to scrap COVID restrictions in England

UK's Johnson set to scrap COVID restrictions in England British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's "living with COVID" plan, scrapping coronavirus restrictions and cutting access to free tests, drew 11th-hour objections on Monday that it was premature and would leave the country vulnerable to new viral variants. Kate Holton,Elizabeth Piper Reuters

LONDON, Feb 21 (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's "living with COVID" plan, scrapping coronavirus restrictions and cutting access to free tests, drew 11th-hour objections on Monday that it was premature and would leave the country vulnerable to new viral variants.

As Hong Kong builds isolation units and Europe retains social distancing and vaccine rules, Johnson is moving to repeal in England any pandemic requirements that impinge on personal freedoms, such as self-isolating after a positive COVID test.

But the plan, geared to help deflect discontent over his scandal-ridden leadership among lawmakers in his Conservative Party that has threatened his grip on power, ran into difficulty just hours before he was due to launch it.

A cabinet meeting of top ministers was delayed just before it was supposed to sign off on the new strategy, and the leaders of Scotland and Wales - both sharply critical of Johnson's rule - said the policy would make it harder to tackle new coronavirus variants in a timely way, heightening risks to the public.

"Testing has played a pivotal role in breaking chains of transmission and as a surveillance tool helping us detect and respond to emerging variants," Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford said on Twitter. "It's essential that this continues."

Just a day after Queen Elizabeth tested positive for the virus, Johnson was expected to drop legal requirements to self-isolate and replace them with voluntary guidance, bringing COVID-19 into line with how Britain treats most other infections.

The government is also expected to reduce access to free tests, a move that has been blasted by scientists after mass testing helped Britain to spot new variants during the pandemic.

That decision seemed to have a sparked a row between the health and finance ministers before a cabinet meeting over what level of testing should continue and how it should be financed.

A spokesman for Johnson declined to comment on reports of a dispute, saying: "(The cabinet meeting) was postponed until this afternoon so that the prime minister could have both a security briefing and to have further meetings to finalise the plan on living with COVID."

Johnson has said he does not want people to "throw caution to the wind" but the vaccine rollout means the government wants to move from state mandation to encouraging personal responsibility, a big priority for Conservative lawmakers. Among adults, 81% have received COVID booster shots in England. ...