Boris Johnson says he wants life to return to ‘as close to it was before Covid’

1 July 2021, 12:22 | Updated: 1 July 2021, 12:58

Boris Johnson has said he wants life to return to 'as close to it was before Covid' after the final stage of the roadmap out of lockdown on July 19.

But the prime minister acknowledged that some "extra precautions" may be necessary to protect against coronavirus.

During a visit to a Nissan plant in Sunderland, the Prime Minister said: "I know how impatient people are to get back to total normality, as indeed am I.

"I will be setting in the course of the next few days what step four will look like exactly.

"But I think I've said it before, we'll be wanting to go back to a world that is as close to the status quo, ante-Covid, as possible. Try to get back to life as close to it was before Covid.

"But there may be some things we have to do, extra precautions that we have to take, but I'll be setting them out."

Mr Johnson also said "double jabs will be a liberator" when asked about reports that fully vaccinated people may be able to travel quarantine-free from amber list countries by July 26.

"Everybody who is frustrated about travel over the summer - double jabs will be a liberator.

"I want travel to be possible but I've got to stress that this year will not be like every other year because of the difficulties with Covid. People shouldn't expect it will be completely hassle free."

He also urged parents and pupils to be "patient" over the possibility of scrapping isolation for whole bubbles in schools.

"I understand people's frustration when whole classes, whole bubbles, are sent home and people are asked to isolate.

"So what's happening now is Public Health England and the scientists are looking at the advantages, the possibilities, of going to testing rather than isolation.

"They haven't concluded yet so what I want to do is just to be cautious as we go forward to that natural firebreak of the summer holidays when the risk in schools will greatly diminish and just ask people to be a little bit patient."