Britain's Gamble: 'Freedom Day' Announced Amid Rising COVID Cases

LONDON - Britain is about to try something that no other nation has yet dared: lifting coronavirus restrictions amid a new wave of infections.

The government says that with more than half of Britons now fully vaccinated, the time is right to reopen in the coming weeks. However, some scientists have warned that a sudden reopening of the economy and society is a big gamble as infection numbers rise. In a televised press conference Monday, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson outlined the end to lockdown measures beginning July 19. “Our vaccines have helped to break the link between disease and death,” Johnson said. “And as the days have gone by, it has grown ever clearer that these vaccines are indeed successful, with a majority of those admitted to hospital unvaccinated.”