Caution needed on Boris Johnson's 'living with Covid' plan - The Yorkshire Post says

The country’s people have, by their return to workplaces, sporting fixtures, pubs and places of entertainment, demonstrated that they are learning to live with the virus.

It has helped immensely that the omicron strain, which caused such concern when it arrived in Britain before Christmas, has thankfully proved much less severe than feared, and did not result in a wave of hospitalisations or a crisis for the NHS.

Yet a note of caution ought to be sounded.

As Boris Johnson acknowledged yesterday, Covid remains a danger to many and levels of infection are still high, with about one in 20 people catching it in the past week.

Personal responsibility will be important in the coming weeks and months if infection levels are to be kept under control.

Though there will be no requirement to self-isolate if testing positive, it may well be that Britain’s people, mindful of how hard the last two years have been, choose to continue to take steps to avoid infecting others.

In the meantime, the Government must continue to push its vaccination programme to build up the maximum level of immunity.

Though Mr Johnson refused to rule out imposing new restrictions if there is a resurgence of Covid, it must be pointed out that he might face an uphill task if they become necessary.

Given his attendance at lockdown-breaching parties with staff in Downing Street, there has to be some doubt whether British people would observe renewed limitations on their freedoms.

If that happened, Mr Johnson would only have himself to blame.

Hopefully, it will not come to that. The signs are that the country is able to move back to normality.