The prime minister will meet his cabinet ministers this morning to agree the plan for living with the virus after almost two years of restrictions, according to Number 10.
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He is then expected to update parliament on the plans this afternoon before holding a news conference to reveal details to the public in the evening.
Boris Johnson COVID announcement today - follow it live here
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As we head into another year with the pandemic, the UK government appears to be gearing up to find an exit route from the pandemic. 4:43
How will we live with COVID?
On Saturday, Downing Street had confirmed that positive cases and their close contacts will no longer have to self-isolate by the end of this week.
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Mr Johnson said: "Today will mark a moment of pride after one of the most difficult periods in our country's history as we begin to learn to live with COVID.
"It would not be possible without the efforts of so many - the NHS who delivered the life-saving vaccine rollout at phenomenal speed, our world-leading scientists and experts, and the general public for their commitment to protecting themselves and their loved ones.
"The pandemic is not over but thanks to the incredible vaccine rollout we are now one step closer towards a return to normality and finally giving people back their freedoms while continuing to protect ourselves and others."
Remaining COVID restrictions
Fully vaccinated people with COVID-19 who test negative with a lateral flow two days in a row can leave isolation after five days - but must remain for 10 days if still testing positive
Unvaccinated people who develop COVID symptoms or test positive must self-isolate for 10 days
All arrivals into the UK must complete a passenger locator form
Non-fully vaccinated people must take a pre-departure test and a PCR test on or before day two and quarantine if it is positive
Face coverings are required in health and care settings
Face coverings are required on Transport for London services
Local authorities can recommend face coverings in communal areas of schools
Country in 'strong position but must remain cautious'
No 10 said Mr Johnson is committed to setting out how the country will live with COVID as the UK is now in a "strong position" to consider lifting remaining restrictions following a successful vaccination programme.
He wants to move away from "government intervention towards personal responsibility".
The government is planning a "vaccine-led" approach and said living with the virus will depend on the "sustained population immunity provided by vaccines".
But, the PM warned the pandemic is "not over" and the government's scientific advisers on its SAGE committee have emphasised there is "considerable uncertainty about the path the pandemic will now take in the UK".
Free lateral flow tests to remain?
The government has promised to take a "cautious approach" by retaining some surveillance systems and plans to reimpose measures "if needed to respond to new variants".
No 10 praised the public's adherence to Plan B restrictions and said wider behaviour change has slowed the growth of the virus, adding that more than 81% of adults have now had booster jabs.
The government has not said if the changes will mean people could go to work after testing positive, but the PM's official spokesman previously said "there would be guidance, that would not be what we are recommending".
It has also not confirmed if the provision of free lateral flow tests could end following reports people would have to pay for them.
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Paul Scully, Business Minister on Sky NEws 12:09
'Important we don't live under diktat'
Business minister Paul Scully told Sky News' Kay Burley it was "important we don't work and live under government diktat for a moment longer than is necessary to allow the economy to recover, to allow people to get back to a sense of normality while keeping people safe".
Asked about the possible dropping of self-isolation rules, Mr Scully said there was a need for "really good guidance" for employers on when their employees should and should not attend work.
"There comes a time when the pandemic moves to a more endemic approach to COVID, in the same way flu and other viruses are treated," he added.
"That's what we've got to get back to, but it's a fine balance clearly."
On Sunday morning, Mr Johnson told the BBC testing would happen "at a much lower level" because it is unsustainable to continue spending £2bn a month on the scheme.
Ending self-isolation a 'premature decision'
The plan to scrap self-isolation has been criticised by some, including by three-quarters of NHS leaders in England who disagree, according to a survey by the NHS Confederation.
Matthew Taylor, chief executive of NHS Confederation that represents NHS trusts, told Sky News it was "too early" to be ending mandatory testing and said there was no plan for what to do without the programme.
Read more:
Ending COVID restrictions requires big psychological leap
PM has to convince the cabinet he's right
Doctor with long COVID attacks PM's proposals
He said if isolation is no longer mandatory then what is the advice for NHS and care staff, and added that he did not understand why all the restrictions had to be lifted at the same time.
Dr David Nabarro, the World Health Organisation's special envoy on COVID-19, did not support the move either.
"I appreciate their concerns about absenteeism... but at the same time, what we know about this virus is that it is not good for people and simply just treating it as though it is a harmless virus we think - that's myself and colleagues in the World Health Organisation - we think that's unwise," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.
Dr Chaand Nagpaul, chair of the British Medical Association, said the decision is "premature" and "not based on current evidence".
"It clearly hasn't been guided by data or done in consultation with the healthcare profession," he said.
Professor Robert West, a health psychologist from
University College London and a member of the Scientific Pandemic Insights Group on Behaviours (SPI-B), which feeds into SAGE, suggested the government had moved to "abdicate its own responsibility for looking after its population".
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