Covid news – live: Wales to end Covid passes and masks as a third of young people in cities still unvaccinated

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Boris Johnson announces plan to end all Covid restrictions this month

Mask-wearing rules and compulsory NHS Covid passes are coming to an end in Wales later this month, the Welsh government announced Friday.

From February 18, there will no longer be a legal requirement to have domestic Covid passes to enter indoor or outdoor events including nightclubs, cinemas, or theatres, but venues will still be able to use them if they want to.

Face coverings won’t be needed in most public spaces from Monday February 28. They will still be required in all shops, public transport, and health and care settings.

It comes as Wales is set to conduct its first three-week review of its zero alert measures.

Wales’ First Minister Mark Drakeford said that increasing vaccination and booster numbers means Wales “can look forward to brighter times ahead”.

However, new figures show that one in three young adults in some of the biggest cities in England have still not received any doses of a Covid-19 vaccine.

Some 34.7 percent of 18 to 39-year-olds in Coventry are likely to be unvaccinated, along with 32.0 percent in Birmingham and 31.9 percent in Liverpool. In Nottingham, the figure sits at 30.1 percent while Newcastle and Manchester fare a little better (27.6 and 26.6 percent respectively).

Key Points

• Arrival testing ends for fully vaccinated travellers to the UK
• Prince Charles tests positive for the second time
• Scientists say Boris Johnson playing ‘fast and loose’ with people’s health
• Covid passes and need for face coverings in some venues to be scrapped in Wales
• Clinically vulnerable and carers say feel excluded from PM’s self-isolation plan
• Scottish ministers says Boris Johnson did not give enough time before new rules
• New Zealand protesters occupy parliament grounds for fourth day

[10 February 2022 05:39 · Arpan Rai]

Scientists say Boris Johnson playing ‘fast and loose’ with people’s health

Prime minister Boris Johnson has been accused of playing ‘fast and loose with people’s health’ as he moved to end Covid-19 restrictions as early as this month’s end, contrary to plans of ending them in March.

Scientists who have questioned the move are calling the decision an experiment that could go on to be either “very brave or very stupid”.

Dr Simon Clarke, an associate professor in cellular microbiology at the University of Reading, called the move “an experiment which will either be shown to be very brave or very stupid – but nobody knows for sure what the result will be”.

Only the guidelines which require people to stay home after testing positive — akin to after contracting any infectious disease —will be in place, in the new set of guidelines.

This will not be legally enforceable.

My colleagues Samuel Lovett and Ashley Cowburn have the full report here.

[10 February 2022 05:13 · Arpan Rai]

Welcome to The Independent’s live blog on the Covid-19 pandemic for Thursday, 10 February.