The British Medical Association has said that ending all COVID-19 restrictions is premature and not based on evidence. Experts have cautioned against dropping testing and self-isolation, saying it could result in a spike in cases.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson told MPs last week that the government was preparing to lift the legal requirement in England to self-isolate on February 24, a month earlier than scheduled.

However, Dr Chaand Nagpaul, chair of the BMA council, called the decision premature and said that it was not based on current evidence. Nagpaul said that the decision has not been driven by data or done in consultation with the healthcare profession. He added that the cases were considerably high, as the latest Office for National Statistics survey suggested that one in 20 people in England were infected last week… (The Guardian, February 18, 2022)