When will England change its Covid rules?

UK leader Boris Johnson suggests domestic Covid restrictions will be dropped at the end of February

The Covid-19 Memorial Wall in London. The legal requirement to self-isolate after a positive Covid-19 test in England will be scrapped, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced. EPA

Commuters get off an underground train in London. Covid restrictions had initially been due to expire on March 24, but Mr Johnson says the 'encouraging' infection figures mean the restrictions can end a month early. AFP

A message for the National Health Service on a postbox outside St Thomas' Hospital in London. EPA

A London Underground tube sign at Bank station gives a positive message. Reuters

A woman browsing in a bookshop in London. EPA

Rail travellers arrive at Kings Cross Station in London. EPA

Pedestrians on their way to work cross London Bridge in central London. AFP

A passenger at a bus stop in London. Reuters

All domestic Covid rules in England are expected to be dropped by the end of February, a month before the government had initially planned to make the move.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson told Parliament the decision was motivated by “encouraging trends in the data”.

Parliament will break up on Friday until February 21, when Mr Johnson is expected to outline the government’s strategy.

“It is my intention to return on the first day after the half-term recess to present our strategy for living with Covid,” he said.

“Provided the current encouraging trends in the data continue, it is my expectation that we will be able to end the last domestic restrictions, including the legal requirement to self-isolate if you test positive, a full month early.”

Those self-isolation restrictions had been due to expire on March 24 but the requirement is now expected to be replaced by guidance to stay at home.

Currently, those who contract the virus are able to end their isolation five full days from testing positive or from when symptoms first arose, if they test negative on days five and six, the first day of their illness being day zero.

“What we would simply be doing is removing the domestic regulations which relate to isolation,” Mr Johnson’s spokesman said.

“But obviously in the same way someone with flu ... we wouldn’t recommend they go to work, we would never recommend anyone goes to work when they have an infectious disease.”

The government ended almost all Covid-19 restrictions in England last July, and last month lifted Plan B measures that had been imposed temporarily to slow the spread of the highly infectious Omicron variant.

Those included a requirement to wear a face mask in shops and on public transport, as well as guidance to work from home.

From Friday, the requirement for vaccinated travellers arriving in the country to take a Covid-19 test is also being dropped.

The devolved governments in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales are responsible for setting their own coronavirus rules and restrictions.