All coronavirus restrictions in England are set to be lifted within two weeks in a test to determine if the country’s vaccine rollout will be effective against combatting the delta variant.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the move on Monday, noting that the government is planning to end all restrictions on July 19. He also stated that the first step of removing restrictions would include getting rid of formal mandates including wearing masks and working from home, according to Reuters.
Under the proposed new plans, social distancing will no longer be enforced, capacity limits will end and night clubs will be reopened, the news service noted.
“We must be honest with ourselves that if we can’t reopen our society in the next few weeks when we will be helped by the arrival of summer and by the school holidays, then we must ask ourselves when will we be able to return to normal,” Johnson said, according to Reuters. “We will move away from legal restrictions and allow people to make their own informed decisions about how to manage the virus.”
The United Kingdom has reported over 4.9 million coronavirus cases since the start of the pandemic and over 128,000 related deaths. Currently, more than 79.7 million doses of the coronavirus vaccine have been administered in the country, according to Johns Hopkins University data.
Nearly 86 percent of adults in the U.K. have received at least one dose of the vaccine, Reuters noted.