British PM unveils plan to end final COVID-19 restrictions this month

LONDON - Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced Wednesday that he plans to remove all remaining COVID-19 restrictions in England a month earlier than planned.

Current COVID-19 restrictions were set to expire on March 24 but Johnson suggested rules could expire later this month.

"Providing the current encouraging trends in the data continue, it is my expectation that we will be able to end the last domestic restrictions, including the legal requirement to self-isolate if you test positive, a full month early," the prime minister told MPs.

During this week's instalment of Prime Minister's Questions in the House of Commons, the lower house of the British Parliament, Johnson said he would present the government's "Living With COVID" strategy when the Commons returns from its recess on Feb 21.

As of the end of last month, people with COVID-19 in England can end their self-isolation after five full days, as long as they test negative on day five and day six.

As of Tuesday, Britain had recorded 17,932,803 COVID-19 cases and 158,677 related deaths, according to official figures.

More than 91 percent of people aged 12 and above in Britain have had their first vaccine dose, over 84 percent have received both, and some 65 percent have received booster jabs.