Too Early For The UK To ‘Live With Covid', Scientists Warn

Scientists are warning that it is too early for the country to start “living with Covid”, after cabinet minister Nadhim Zahawi suggested that the UK could lead the world in moving from a pandemic to endemic phase of the disease.

- Andrew Woodcock

The former vaccines minister said he would like to see isolation after a positive test reduced from seven to five days to help tackle staffing shortages in the NHS, schools and other critical services. But he denied that the government is imminently planning to end the provision of free Covid testing except for people with symptoms and those in high-risk settings such as care homes.

There was widespread alarm at a Sunday Times report that free tests could be scaled back within weeks in order to rein in a bill which has already topped £6bn. And while Mr Zahawi said this was “absolutely not where we are at”, he made clear that the government is preparing for a new stage in its Covid response, where the virus will be treated as part of the normal range of ongoing health problems, rather than a national emergency.