SAGE versus Sajid: Doom-monger scientist lashes new Health Secretary's 'frightening' plans to scrap lockdown by July 19 and treat Covid 'like the flu' – despite more than HALF Britons now being double-vaccinated

A SAGE psychologist has lashed out at Sajid Javid's 'frightening' plan to scrap lockdown by July 19 despite more than half of adults in England having received both vaccines - after the new Health Secretary urged people to live with coronavirus 'as we already do with flu'.

Professor Stephen Reicher, who has been advising the Government on its response to the pandemic, wrote on Twitter today: 'It is frightening to have a 'Health' Secretary who still thinks Covid is flu, who is unconcerned at levels of infection, who doesn't realise that those who do best for health also do best for the economy, who wants to ditch all protections while only half of us are vaccinated.

'Above all, it is frightening to have a 'Health' Secretary who wants to make all protections a matter of personal choice when the key message of the pandemic is 'this isn't an 'I' thing, it's a 'we' thing. Your behaviour affects my health. Get your head around the 'we' concept''.

The Department of Health has been approached for comment.

The broadside from the University of St Andrews academic comes after Mr Javid, who replaced disgraced Matt Hancock last weekend after the former Health Secretary was caught flouting lockdown with his mistress, called the health reasons for lifting restrictions 'compelling'.

Writing in the Mail on Sunday, the new Health Secretary says the UK is 'on track' to escape almost every vestige of lockdown on July 19, adding: 'We will have a country that is not just freer, but healthier, too.'

But he makes no secret of the challenges he faces as Health Secretary, admitting that he has 'the biggest in-tray I've had at any department - and I've run five'.

In a further shift in tone in messaging after Mr Hancock sensationally quit government and ditched his wife of 15 years, Cabinet minister Robert Jenrick today announced that wearing face masks will no longer be compulsory after the so-called Freedom Day later this month.

The Housing Secretary said the latest coronavirus data is 'very positive' as Boris Johnson prepares for the final stage in his lockdown exit roadmap. Speaking to Sky News, he said 'the state won't be telling you what to do' after rules are eased and there will be a shift in emphasis towards 'personal choice' and judgement.

The Prime Minister is preparing to announce a raft of measures to come into force from July 19 which will 'make Britain the most open country in Europe'. Under plans expected to be signed off by the Cabinet tomorrow, fully-vaccinated people will be able to travel to amber-list countries including Spain and Greece without having to self-isolate when they return.

The school school 'bubbles' system that has seen hundreds of thousands of pupils being forced to self-isolate at home will be axed and replaced with daily testing, while hospitality businesses will no longer have to demand that customers provide their personal data or sign in with a 'QR' code.

As the coronavirus crisis continues to rock Britain, it emerged:

SAGE psychologist Professor Stephen Reicher lashed out at 'frightening' Sajid Javid's 'bonkers' plan to ditch all lockdown measures by July 19 after the new Health Secretary called the health case for scrapping restrictions 'compelling' and urged people to live with coronavirus 'as we already do with flu'

Professor Reicher wrote on Twitter today: 'It is frightening to have a 'Health' Secretary who still thinks Covid is flu, who is unconcerned at levels of infection, who doesn't realise that those who do best for health also do best for the economy, who wants to ditch all protections while only half of us are vaccinated'

More than half of English residents have now had both coronavirus vaccines as daily cases rise by 161 per cent in a fortnight

Scanning QR codes before entering venues like pubs and restaurants 'will be scrapped from July 19' as ministers push to lift restrictions for Freedom Day

Britons will no longer have to scan a QR code every time they enter a bar or a restaurant when coronavirus restrictions end on July 19, it has been reported.

At the moment, people have to scan in their details or fill in a form at venues so they can be traced in case they come into contact with someone with Covid-19.

But it is believed Boris Johnson will scrap the need to give over details as part of the huge lifting of restrictions set to come in in two weeks time.

The Prime Minister will announce plans to drop social distancing rules and bin proposals for a domestic Covid-19 passport this week, the Sunday Times reports.

As part of the easing, wearing face masks will become voluntary everywhere apart from hospitals and similar settings, and work from home guidance will also be scrapped.

Mass events, including festivals, will also be allowed under the proposals for the final stage of the road map out of lockdown, the paper also said.

And hospitality venues will no longer be required to collect track and trace data, and drinkers will also be able to order at the bar.

Setting out his priorities in a column for the Mail on Sunday, Mr Javid writes: 'The first is how we restore our freedoms and learn to live with Covid-19. The second is to tackle the NHS backlog - something that we know is going to get far worse before it gets better.

'We are on track for July 19 and we have to be honest with people about the fact that we cannot eliminate Covid. We also need to be clear that cases are going to rise significantly... But no date we choose will ever come without risk, so we have to take a broad and balanced view.'

Mr Javid says an estimated seven million fewer people than normal approached the NHS for treatment during the pandemic.

He added: 'The steps we took saved countless lives but also led to the build-up of a vast elective backlog - checks, appointments and treatments for all the less urgent, but often just as important, health issues.'

Figures released in April showed the number of people waiting for hospital treatment in England exceeded 5 million for the first time since records began in 2007, prompting the Royal College of Surgeons to call for specialist hubs to carry out delayed routine operations such as knee and hip replacements.

Mr Javid - who quit as Chancellor last year after clashing with No 10 aide Dominic Cummings - also acknowledges that lockdown has 'caused a shocking rise in domestic violence and a terrible impact on so many people's mental health'.

Senior sources said that Mr Javid has ushered in a new approach towards handling the pandemic, following Mr Hancock's strong support for lockdown and coronavirus restrictions. 'Sajid has pushed down on the accelerator,' said one.

Mr Jenrick told Sky News this morning that the nation is 'now reaching a different phase in the virus'.

'We are not going to put the Covid-19 virus behind us forever, we are going to have to learn to live with it,' he said.

'But thanks to the enormous success of our vaccine programme the fact that now we have got to the point where 83 per cent of adults in this country have had at least one jab, we should be able to think about how we can return to normality as much as possible.

'The data that we are seeing that the Prime Minister is reviewing at the moment ahead of his decision point on the road map looks very positive.

'It does seem as if we can now move forward and move to a much more permissive regime where we move away from many of those restrictions that have been so difficult for us and learn to live with the virus.

'That does mean that we are going to have to treat it carefully, we are going to have to keep on monitoring the cases and we are going to have to ensure that every adult gets double-vaxxed because that is the key to keeping the virus under control as we move into the autumn and the winter.'

Some scientific experts have called for the rules on wearing face masks in shops and on public transport to be retained. But Mr Jenrick said wearing face coverings will be made a matter of choice and personal responsibility.

He said: 'Like many people I want to get away from these restrictions as quickly as I possibly can and we don't want them to stay in place for a day longer than is necessary.

'We are going to, I think, now move into a period where there won't be legal restrictions, the state won't be telling you what to do, but you will want to exercise a degree of personal responsibility and judgement. So different people will come to different conclusions on things like masks for example.'

Asked directly if he will ditch his mask should he be permitted to do so, the Housing Secretary said: 'I will. I don't particularly want to wear a mask. I don't think a lot of people enjoy doing it. We will be moving into a phase where these will be matters of personal choice and so some members of society will want to do so for perfectly legitimate reasons.

'But it will be a different period where we as private citizens make these judgements rather than the Government telling you what to do.'

It comes as more than half of English residents have now had both coronavirus vaccines as daily cases rise by 161 per cent in a fortnight. A total of 66,220,122 Covid-19 vaccinations had taken place between December 8 and July 3, according to NHS England data, including first and second doses.

NHS England said 37,981,485 were first doses, a rise of 121,588 on the previous day, while 28,238,637 were second doses, an increase of 165,665. On Sunday, 137,389 first dose Covid vaccinations and 196,209 second doses were administered.

The positive vaccination figures come amid a sharp rise in daily cases. As of 9am on Sunday, there had been a further 24,248 lab-confirmed Covid-19 cases in the UK, the Government said.

The figure is the highest in 24 hours reported since late January. It is a rise of 63 percent on last Sunday and 161 per cent compared to a fortnight ago. The Government said 15 more people had died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19 as of Sunday.

While the number of daily deaths remains low, the figure is a 25 per cent increase on last Sunday's total.

Separate figures published by the Office for National Statistics show there have been 153,000 deaths registered in the UK where Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate.