Keighley and Ilkley MP Robbie Moore has welcomed the Government’s plan for Living with COVID, stating the new strategy will enable people to regain freedoms and normalities whilst still ensuring the most vulnerable get the protection and support they need.
This week, The Prime Minister announced that from the 24th February the Government will remove the legal requirement to self-isolate following a positive test for COVID-19. He also stated that the Government will no longer ask fully vaccinated close contacts of a positive Covid-19 case to test daily and that it will revoke The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) Regulations which are currently in law.
Under plans announced, testing will remain available for particular groups, including the most vulnerable, health and social care workers, and those who work in high-risk settings, such as care homes, with further details on how this will apply to be set-out in due course.
Health Secretary Sajid Javid has also announced that he has accepted advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation to offer an additional COVID-19 booster jab to certain groups from spring onwards. This includes those aged 75 years and over, residents in care homes for older adults, and people aged 12 years and over who are immunosuppressed.
Robbie Moore MP said: “Thanks to the brilliant work of NHS staff and volunteers, who have carried us through the pandemic and delivered the incredible vaccination effort, we are now able to take this huge step towards normality. It is right that as the link between the virus and hospitalisations continues to fall, we learn to live with the virus as we would any other disease.
People across Keighley and Ilkley have sacrificed so much during this pandemic, and many have lost loved ones. Everyone locally has played a part to tackle COVID, and I am pleased that now, thanks to this hard work, we are turning a big corner and moving away from this pandemic.
I understand certain concerns about these changes, but I welcome assurances from the Prime Minister that the most vulnerable in society will get the protection and support they need, and that those who need it most will continue to be offered vaccinations.”
