London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Sep 15, 2026

Covid-19: Some Covid safeguards needed after June, says Raab

Covid-19: Some Covid safeguards needed after June, says Raab

Some Covid-19 safeguards will need to remain in place beyond June when the roadmap out of lockdown is due to end, the foreign secretary has said.

Dominic Raab told the BBC no decisions have been made, but it could involve some use of social distancing or masks.

Under the government's roadmap, all legal restrictions on social contact in England are due to end on 21 June.

Mr Raab said the UK was "in a good position" to "get life back as close to normal as possible".

The foreign secretary told BBC One's Andrew Marr Show: "But there will still need to be some safeguards in place."

He said the government had not yet made a decision on vaccinating secondary school children.

"That's one of the tools, one of the options that we'll look at. No decisions have been made," he said.

On Sunday, a further 14 deaths within 28 days of a positive Covid test were reported - and 1,671 more cases.

The progress on vaccination means the UK is in "a good position" to end almost all restrictions on 21 June, but the final decision will be based on the evidence, the foreign secretary said.

It comes as the government begins a trial of daily lateral flow tests for people who have come into close contact with someone with Covid, which if successful could spell an end to the requirement to self-isolate.

From 9 May, about 40,000 close contacts of people with Covid in England will be invited to take part in the study.

They will have to test themselves each morning for seven days but will be exempt from the legal requirement to quarantine as long as the result is negative and they do not show any symptoms.

Between May 2020 and April 2021 in England, more than 6.7 million close contacts were reached and told to self-isolate, NHS Test and Trace data shows.

But research found low numbers of people had followed the self-isolation rules in full. Those less likely to self-isolate include men, younger people, parents with young children, working-class backgrounds, people in financial hardship and key workers.

With international travel due to resume in the next stage out of lockdown on 17 May, Mr Raab also said the traffic light system detailing the risk level of travelling to each destination is "coming shortly".

Prof Peter Openshaw, an immunologist who advises the government, said people would be able to go on holiday this summer "within limits".

But he said: "I would absolutely say it is too early to declare victory and to drop our guard.

"We do know that this infection has a tendency to come back again and we need to use this time to be absolutely sure we have got every precaution in place to stop further outbreaks."

He said the use of lateral flow tests was "contentious" among scientists but that he believed they would help to find the people who are "most prone to spreading disease".


Meanwhile, Mr Raab said he would "always look very carefully at any request" to help as India deals with its record surge of Covid cases, which is overwhelming hospitals.

But asked if the UK should pause the vaccination of younger, less vulnerable people to send doses abroad, the foreign secretary said he has not received any request from India "on that specific issue".

He said the government was supporting vaccination worldwide with the billion doses that the UK is contributing to the World Health Organization's Covax programme.

Shadow foreign secretary Lisa Nandy said the issue is "deeply personal" as she has a close family member in hospital with Covid in India, but added the UK should not pause the vaccination of younger people to send vaccines overseas.

"We haven't defeated this virus in Britain yet," she said. She said we should not "pit the people of Britain against the people of India" but should instead "dramatically ramp up vaccination and supply" worldwide.


Professor Peter Openshaw: "It's too early to declare victory and to drop our guard"


Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
HMRC Warns Nearly Seven Million Adults Are Unclear About State Pension Entitlements
UK Parliament Passes Sovereign Grant Reform Before Conference Recess
British Rail Passengers Gain Automatic Right to Switch Operators During Disruptions
Burnham Hosts Downing Street Business Summit as UK Fiscal Pressure Builds
Labour Government Moves to Challenge £72 Million in Reform UK Crypto Donations
UK Advertising Industry Warns Wider Junk Food Rules Could Put £1 Billion in Media Spending at Risk
Cornwall Opens Devolution Talks With UK Government Over Transport and Local Services
UK Parliament Considers Sovereign Grant Reform Setting Royal Funding at £99.9 Million
Trades Union Congress Calls for Income-Based Energy Tariff Funded by Higher Bank Levy
UK Prime Minister Rejects Second Scottish Independence Referendum
House of Lords Begins Scrutiny of Bill to Lower UK Voting Age to 16
Anthropic Says Claude Was Exploited in Weapons-Related and State-Linked Cyber Activity
Institute of Directors Urges UK Government to Avoid Business Tax Increases in Autumn Budget
Rising Gilt Yields Cut UK Fiscal Headroom to About £13 Billion Ahead of Budget
UK Economy Grows 0.4% in July as Services and Technology Activity Strengthen
UK Government Promises Clearer Student Loan Guidance After Repayment Backlash
Charities Warn Unpaid Carers May Die Before Receiving Government Compensation
Dover Unrest Prompts Review of UK Counter-Extremism Strategy
Celtic Summit Leaders Reassert Right to Pursue Independence From UK
NHS Records Busiest Summer on Record Amid Severe Heatwaves
Harrods Faces Potential £150 Million Compensation Bill Over Al Fayed Abuse Claims
UK Parliament Opens Debate on Landmark Assisted Dying Legislation
Metropolitan Police Investigate Reform UK Over Alleged Foreign Electoral Donations
UK Economy Expands 0.4% in July as AI Investment Boosts Activity
Bank of England Signals Caution on Rates as Inflation Pressures Persist
Tesco Alerts Police After Scammers Use Its Branding in AI-Generated Fraud
Lindy Cameron Appointed First Female Permanent Under-Secretary at UK Foreign Office
UK Government to Rewrite Student Loan Guidance After Mis-Selling Criticism
Welsh First Minister Warns Andy Burnham Government to Respect Devolution
Trump’s Falkland Islands Remarks Trigger New Diplomatic Tension With Britain
Reform UK Receives Record £72 Million Donation From Cryptocurrency Billionaires
UK Bans Imports From Israeli West Bank Settlements and Sanctions Supporting Institutions
Bayeux Tapestry Draws Large Crowds at British Museum
Cuts to International Aid Raise Concerns Over Fragile Overseas Health Systems
UK Airlines and Logistics Operators Adjust Capacity as Fuel Costs Rise
UK Mortgage Arrears Edge Lower in Second Quarter
UK Government Advances New Devolution Offers for English Councils
UK Parliament Begins Debate on NHS Governance and Single Patient Record Reforms
Andy Burnham Launches Number 10 North Devolution Initiative
UK Parliament Rejects Assisted Dying Bill for Terminally Ill Adults
UK Bans Goods From Israeli Settlements in the Occupied West Bank
UK Economy Grows 0.4% in July as Technology Services Strengthen
Metropolitan Police Continue Investigation Into Reform UK Political Financing
Chinese Crypto Entrepreneur Leon Li Identified as Seller of £190 Million London Mansion
Trades Union Congress Proposes Social Energy Tariff Funded by Higher Bank Surcharge
British Chambers of Commerce Calls for State Pension Triple Lock to Be Scrapped
Anthropic Says Claude Helped Disrupt Biological Weapons and Cyber Espionage Threats
UK Imposes Sanctions Over Israeli Settlements and West Bank Violence
UK Reimposes Sectoral Sanctions on Iran’s Aviation, Shipping and Energy Networks
UK Economy Grows 0.4% in July as AI and Programming Services Lift Activity
×