Stay updated with breaking news from Restore freedoms. Get real-time updates on events, politics, business, and more. Visit us for reliable news and exclusive interviews.
On saturday, the uk reported more than 54,000 cases. the highest number, in six months. phil black joins me now from essex, england. phil, so among those covid cases, the uk health secretary who tested positive for covid. so what s the latest on that and what repercussions might that have for boris johnson? well, it s not ideal timing for the government, certainly. as as as you touch on there, kim. because the health secretary is only beneath the prime minister, boris johnson, in having overall responsibility for coordinating england s response to the pandemic. and what it means, in practice, is that come tomorrow, come so-called freedom day, when england will effectively throw away the pandemic rule book, and restore freedoms. or at least transition, from rules, to a system of personal responsibility. he will not be free. he will be stuck at home. he will be isolating with his family. that will, also, apply to anyone ....
Says he s fully vaccinated and his symptoms are mild and he s isolating at home with family. he has tested positive just as the government is tet to embark on an unprecedented experiment. in england from monday pandemic restrictions disappear, life effectively unlocks even while people here are still enduring a surging wave of infections. no other country has sought to restore freedoms in these circumstances. and there is tremendous uncertainty. the government s own scientific advisers have said they don t know just how this is likely to play out because ultimately it will come down to the people and how they choose to behave, how cautiously they choose to behave. now they re no longer being told precisely what to do. the government hopes widespread vaccination coverage will prevent soaring infections from translating into high numbers of people requiring treatment in hospital. but critics, scientists here and overseas simply don t buy that. ....