Boris Johnson to potentially end UK self-isolation rules

U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson will potentially end self-isolation rules for COVID-19, as all pandemic restrictions are at their tail end in Britain.

“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,” Johnson told Parliament on Wednesday, The Associated Press reported. 

The announcement comes as Britain has seen cases and hospitalizations fall steeply since the omicron wave peaked in early January. 

The self-isolation requirement was set to end on March 24, but the move to end it early follows other restrictions that have been dropped in recent weeks. 

Mask requirements and proof of vaccination in most areas of Britain have been scrapped, with officials saying that COVID-19 will be treated more like the flu in upcoming months, according to the AP. 

Johnson said he will have further specifics about how to live with the virus later this month. 

The U.K. is not the only country changing its COVID-19 restrictions, as multiple states in the U.S. have announced in the past week that they are dropping certain mask and vaccine rules — despite federal health agencies continuing to recommend masking indoors.

The changes come as the World Health Organization said global coronavirus cases were down 17 percent in the week from Jan. 31 to Feb. 6.