3 key things Britain needs to do to keep Covid at bay as Boris Johnson rips up rulebook

BRITAIN must do three key things to keep Covid at bay, England's top medical advisors warned today.

Professors Chris Whitty and Patrick Vallance set out their latest guidance tonight as Boris Johnson brought the curtain down on Covid curbs.

The Prime Minister put an end to months of draconian curbs this afternoon, saying it was now for ordinary Brits - not ministers - to decide how people live their lives.

The £500 self-isolation payments will end on Thursday, while the £96 sick pay handout for Covid-stricken Brits will be dropped on March 24.

And on April 1 the free testing regime will be wound down, except for the most vulnerable.

In Key developments:

• School kids will no longer need to be tested twice weekly
• Vaccine chiefs announced Spring boosters for over-75s
• The PM sent his best wishes to the Covid-stricken Queen
• Venues will no longer be urged to use vaccine passports

But the PM insisted Covid has far from disappeared, with Prof Whitty laying out three key measures to keep the bug at bay.

England's Chief Medical Advisor said: "We must have three things.

"We must have good surveillance[...] We must have the capacity rapidly to step up in terms of what we are doing and we must be able to protect the most vulnerable."

He added: "Those really are critical things we need to maintain even beyond the next few weeks into the rest of the year and how we continue to manage this pandemic."

Surveillance

Sir Patrick Vallance went on to set out exactly why each of the key measures were needed, listing surveillance as the number one priority as restrictions are dropped.

The Chief Scientific Adviser explained Britain was "lucky enough to have a very good surveillance system" which can be used to pick up how bugs are spreading across the population.

He said: "We are lucky we have a very good surveillance system in this country the ONS study which is a way of picking up across the population what is happening.

"That detection system is going to be vital."

Capacity to 'step up'

Mr Vallance went on to stress the importance of reacting quickly if Covid cases rise once current restrictions are scrapped.

He said the ability to "ramp up" if something "goes wrong" is "absolutely crucial".

He added: "Remember how quickly Omicron took off - that tells us you've got a couple of weeks to get things back in action.

"Once you take things off, its going be important to know how quickly you can put them back on again."

Protect the vulnerable

Finally, the top scientist highlighted the importance of protecting the vulnerable once the Covid rule book is out the window.

And he urged Brits to make the most of the nation's trail blazing jab rollout, shield when needed and stay away if they have Covid.

Mr Vallance said: "Throughout all of that there is a section of the population that remains vulnerable at all times.