GMB: Dr Hilary disapproves of lifting all Covid restrictions

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The news comes as the Treasury attempts to curtail coronavirus spending now that almost all restrictions in England have been lifted. The changes are expected to be announced in a press conference on Monday afternoon by the Prime Minister, where he is also expected to announce the scrapping of the legal requirement to self-isolate.

Mr Johnson will meet with his Cabinet on Monday morning before updating MPs in the afternoon on his blueprint for moving out of the pandemic.

Speaking on the BBC’s Sunday Morning with Sophie Raworth, he said: “We are in a different world. It’s important people should feel confident again… people should be able to go back to work in the normal way.

“We need people to be much more confident and get back to work.

“I think we need resilience, but we don’t need to keep focused on testing.

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“We don’t need to keep spending at a rate of £2 billion a month, which is what we were doing in January. We will be testing at a much lower level.”

Mr Johnson said the UK spent £2 billion on testing in January alone and that such high expenditure did not need to continue.

Coronavirus cases continue to fall – down 37 percent week-on-week to 25,696 – and Mr Johnson insisted he did not want people to “throw caution to the winds” but to remove “compulsion” and let individuals take responsibility.

Mr Johnson said the latest data meant it was time for the UK to shift the balance away from “state mandation” and towards “personal responsibility”.

When will free Covid tests end?

It is expected the Prime Minister will announce free Covid tests are to end from the beginning of April.

However, there is currently speculation the changes will not take place immediately, and instead wind down over a period of time.

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Who can still get free tests?

Exceptions to the new rule are expected, with those aged 80 and over likely to still be offered free tests,

Staff and patients in hospitals and other high-risk settings like care homes are also expected to still have free tests should they require them.

It is currently unclear whether free tests would be available for the 1.3 million vulnerable people who are eligible for antiviral drugs if they catch coronavirus.

How much will Covid tests cost?

If free testing is scrapped for the majority of those in England, the Government has not confirmed if there will be a standard cost for either type of test.

It is still expected tests will be provided by the NHS and would be less expensive than private tests, which can cost hundreds of pounds for rapid results.

Express.co.uk will update this page when the changes have been announced.

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