Covid: Boris Johnson’s plan to lift restrictions ‘too risky’ says Leo Varadkar

Leo Varadkar has criticised the British Government’s plan to strip away most of England’scoronavirus restrictions, saying the move is “too risky”.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson used his Downing Street press conference on Monday afternoon to set out what Step 4 of his plans to end lockdown restrictions in England will look like.

From July 19 mask-wearing will no longer be a legal requirement under the plans, nor will social distancing in most cases, and nightclubs will be able to reopen.

Speaking in Dublin on Tuesday, the Irish deputy premier said that if things go wrong in England, it could have a spillover effect in Ireland.

“What was announced in England yesterday in my view was too risky.

“The prospect of packed theatres in the West End and nightclubs in Manchester being packed to the rafters is one that would concern us in this country quite frankly,” the Fine Gael leader said.

“If things go wrong in England, it will have a spillover effect in Ireland and on our other neighbours.

“They are saying they can withstand 50,000 cases a day without having a serious impact on the NHS and I think that’s a bit of a gamble and it’s a gamble we are not going to take here.

“We need to avoid getting back into a spiral of fear here. The Delta wave is happening but it will be different to other waves and that’s because of the vaccination programme.