'Freedom Day' in the UK: a doctor's perspective
"We're literally at the top of the leader-board for numbers of new cases each day... and the NHS can't cope"
It's been dubbed 'Freedom Day' - as the UK lifts all Covid restrictions, meaning face masks are no longer legally required, social distancing rules have been shelved, and there are no more limits on people attending theatre performances, night clubs or other such-like big events.
The move comes even as cases spike - with the government counting on immunisations protecting the public and health service - and so it's an experiment which will be watched closely worldwide.
However, in a severe case of bad timing the Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak are now self-isolating after coming in to contact with the new Health Minister Sajid Javid who tested positive for Covid.
Dr Rachel Clarke is a palliative care doctor for the NHS and author of a number of books, including Breathtaking: Inside the NHS in a Time of Pandemic.
"We're literally at the top of the leader-board for numbers of new cases each day... and the NHS can't cope... And today is only going to pour petrol on that and make it worse."
(Photo: People dancing at Egg London nightclub in the early hours of 'Freedom Day'. Credit: Getty Images)
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