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Coronavirus

20th Feb 2022

Queen tests positive for coronavirus, Buckingham Palace confirms

Kieran Galpin

She is said to be continuing with light duties

Following the news isolation rules will be repealed next week, Buckingham Palace has confirmed that The Queen has tested positive for coronavirus.

The 95-year-old monarch is said to be experiencing mild cold-like symptoms but does expect to continue light duties while at Windsor this week, a palace source told Sky News.

Queen

Amid the continued scandal around Partygate and the looming threat of Russia, Downing Street has announced that all remaining restrictions are to end in the coming week, reports the BBC.

Currently, testing positive means isolating for up to 10 days. Still, Prime Minister Boris Johnson claims “strong protections against this virus over the past two years” has meant restrictions can be revoked.

Read the full story: Covid isolation rules expected to end next week

He said the UK was in a position to set out a plan for living with Covid “thanks to our successful vaccination programme and the sheer magnitude of people who have come forward to be jabbed”.

While the Tory government seem unified in their support of the repeal, Labour has warned against “declaring victory before the war is over.”

Similarly, NHS palliative care doctor Rachel Clarke tweeted: “Can we be clear? This is not “living with Covid”. This will lead directly to the deaths of more immuno-compromised & disabled people. I care for such patients – triple-vaxxed yet dying in ICU in their 40s, 30s. Are their lives really worth nothing?”

Appearing on the Trevor Phillips show on February 20, the Minister for Europe, James Cleverly, said: “We are in a position where we can follow the data and move back to a normal state.”

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