Throughout the pandemic, public health decisions have been based on the government's interpretation of data. With Covid restrictions lifting in England on Monday July 19, that onus will now fall primarily on the general public – and the news media that keeps them informed. The success of this shift from government responsibility to public responsibility will be a fundamental factor in how successfully the UK plots its path out of the pandemic. And at its heart it's a question of data literacy, or the ability of the public to understand and make informed decisions – about mask-wearing, self-isolation and home-working – based on the Covid data they're exposed to.