Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what scientific research informed their decision to end all COVID-19 restrictions in England.

The Government’s decision to end all COVID-19 restrictions in England has been informed by a wide range of scientific research and other evidence. The Scientific Advisory Group on Emergencies (SAGE) and its sub-groups provide advice which is used in decisions taken by Ministers, alongside economic, social and deliverability considerations. Recent advice from the Scientific Pandemic Influenza Group on Modelling sub-group has included medium term projections of the trajectory of the pandemic, assuming no future policy or behavioural changes and estimates of the extent to which all measures and behaviour change are currently reducing transmission.

Prevalence of COVID-19 in the population remains relatively level and case numbers and hospitalisations are falling. The proportion of infections resulting in hospitalisations is significantly lower than previous waves, with less than one per 100 infections compared to above four per 100 infections during the peak of the Alpha variant. The proportion of hospitalisations requiring the most critical care has remained low throughout the wave of the Omicron variant and has fallen even when infections and hospitalisations increased over the Christmas period. The Omicron variant is less severe and there are now high levels of immunity across the population due to vaccination and natural infection.

The Government works with the devolved administrations on the response to COVID-19. However, public health is a devolved matter and each of the devolved administrations determines its own policy with regard to restrictions. Therefore, no assessment of the impact of the ending of COVID-19 restrictions in England before other areas of the United Kingdom has been made.