Wiltshire Council is asking residents to take "a cautious approach" after the government unveiled its ‘Living with Covid’ plan.

The county's health chief is warning that the dropping of legal restrictions "doesn’t mark the end of the pandemic" and that we must not forget those vulnerable to the virus.

The national plan means all remaining legal restrictions related to the virus will be removed by today (Thursday, February 24).

Restrictions being removed include the legal requirement to self-isolate and the end of routine contact tracing.

People who test positive, fully vaccinated adults, and those aged under 18 who are close contacts will no longer be advised to test daily for seven days, and the legal requirement for close contacts who are not fully vaccinated to self-isolate will be removed.

The government will also remove the current guidance on voluntary Covid-status certification in domestic settings and no longer recommend that certain venues use the NHS Covid Pass.

There will no longer be free universal symptomatic and asymptomatic testing for the general public in England from April 1.

'Start of a new phase'

But Wiltshire's officials say despite the law changes we should still "use our own judgement" to stop the spread of viruses.

Kate Blackburn, director of public health for Wiltshire, said: “Covid-19 has been with us for two years now and it will continue to be part of our day-to-day lives, while hopefully allowing us to live normally as much as possible.

"The government’s plan doesn’t mark the end of the pandemic, but the start of a new phase that will require us to use our own judgement in deciding the steps to take to protect the health of those around us.

“We mustn’t forget that there are those who are much more vulnerable to viruses than others so we ask people to be mindful of that going forward.

“As a society, there is a much greater awareness of the simple steps we all can take to stop the spread of viruses such as Covid-19, and we’d like people to continue with those behaviours going forward and just to be sensible, as that will help continue to make a positive difference.

"This includes good hand hygiene and trying to stay away from other people, particularly those who are more vulnerable, if you feel poorly."

Kate added that until April 1, people who test positive are still advised to stay at home, even if the law has changed.

Adults and children who test positive are advised to stay at home and avoid contact with other people for at least five full days and then continue to follow the guidance until they have received two negative test results on consecutive days.

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