In another sign of the government’s more cautious approach to the July 19 unlocking, Sajid Javid has just told the Commons that government guidance will encourage large venues to use ‘certification’ – in other words, proof of vaccination or a negative test – to determine who is admitted, that those working from home should return to their offices gradually and that masks will be expected to be worn on public transport.
This guidance is, obviously, not the same as law but it is a clear sign that the government wants people to carry on behaving cautiously after July 19. It is a long way away from any kind of ‘freedom day’ rhetoric.
Interestingly, in response to a question from Jeremy Hunt, Javid accepted that restrictions could have to come back if the data starts going the wrong way because of a variant of concern or some other factor.
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