UK PM Boris Johnson urges caution as lockdown legally ends in England

Pedestrians without masks shop in London on Monday as coronavirus restrictions are lifted. With this England set itself at odds with the three other nations of the UK and sparked concern among scientists. Pic/AFP

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday urged caution as the legal lockdown restrictions come to an end in England on so-called ‘Freedom Day', even as he remains in self-isolation after coming in contact with UK Health Secretary Sajid Javid who has tested positive for Covid-19.

Johnson warned of the ‘extreme contagiousness' of the Delta variant of coronavirus, which continues to keep the infection rate in the country at very high levels. Under Step Four of the government's four-step roadmap to end lockdown, Covid restrictions have now been replaced with guidance emphasising personal judgment and responsibility on face masks in indoor settings and caution in large gatherings.

"We're doing a big opening up, and that's quite right. If we don't do it now we'll be opening up in the autumn and winter months when the virus has the advantage of the cold weather. We'll lose the precious firebreak we get with the school holidays," said Johnson in a video posted on Twitter.

"If we don't do it now we've got to ask ourselves, when will we ever do it? This is the right moment. But we've got to do it cautiously. We've got to remember that this virus is sadly still out there. Cases are rising, we can see the extreme contagiousness of the Delta variant," he said. He reiterated the message for everyone to come forward for their first or second doses, as the "massive" National Health Service (NHS) vaccination programme has very "severely weakened the link" between infection, hospitalisation and death.

"So please, please, please be cautious. Go forward into the next step with all the right prudence and respect for other people and the risks that the disease continues to present," he added.

Antibodies last at least nine months

Antibody levels remain high nine months after infection with SARS-CoV-2, which causes Covid-19, whether symptomatic or asymptomatic, according to a study published on Monday that analysed data from an entire Italian town. Researchers from University of Padua and Imperial College London tested over 85 per cent of the 3,000 residents. The study found that 98.8 per cent people infected in February and March had detectable levels of antibodies in November.

French protesters compare vaccines to Nazi horrors

A French Holocaust survivor has denounced anti-vaccination protesters comparing themselves to Jews who were persecuted by Nazi Germany during World War II. French officials and anti-racism groups joined the 94-year-old in expressing indignation. As more than 1,00,000 people marched around France against government vaccine rules on Saturday, some wore yellow stars recalling the ones the Nazis forced Jews to wear. "This comparison is hateful. We must all rise up against this ignominy," Holocaust survivor Joseph Szwarc said Sunday during a ceremony commemorating victims of antisemitic and racist acts by the French state, which collaborated with Adolf Hitler's regime. "I wore the star, I know what that is, I still have it in my flesh," Szwarc said with tears in his eyes. "It is everyone's duty to not allow this outrageous, antisemitic, racist wave to pass over us."

1,78,241
No. of new cases reported globally in the past 24 hours

18,99,21,964
Total no. of cases worldwide

40,88,281
Total no. of deaths worldwide

Source: WHO/Johns Hopkins