UK health chief: England will lift all lockdown restrictions

Britain’s health secretary has confirmed that all remaining lockdown restrictions in England will be lifted in a week despite a sharp rise in coronavirus cases

LONDON -- All remaining lockdown restrictions in England will be lifted in a week despite a sharp rise in coronavirus cases, Britain's health secretary said Monday, adding it's the right time to allow Britons a chance to return to normal life. Sajid Javid told Parliament that Britain's successful vaccine rollout means that nine out of 10 adults in the U.K. now have antibodies against the virus. The government is on track to meet its target of offering all adults a first vaccine dose by July 19, the day when all remaining lockdown restrictions, including mandatory mask-wearing, are set to be lifted. As of Monday, 87% of the U.K.'s adult population have had their first dose, and 66% have had both doses. Javid said while new infections could reach 100,000 a day later in the summer, driven by the more transmissible delta variant, two doses of the vaccine offer effective protection against serious illness from the virus and officials believe the surge in cases will not put “unsustainable pressure” on hospitals. Waiting any longer to lift restrictions will risk having the virus spread in the winter, when hospitals are most likely to be overwhelmed, he added.