BORIS JOHNSON promised to tear up England’s coronavirus regulations today, having been warned not to wash his hands of responsibility for Covid-19 safety.

Despite calls for caution from experts and unions as infection rates soar, the Prime Minister confirmed today that nearly all lockdown restrictions are set to be lifted on July 19.

A decision on whether or not to go ahead with the plans will be taken a week earlier.

People will be expected to use their personal judgement to mitigate risk rather than expecting the state to step in, the PM said.

Under the plans, the “one-metre-plus” rule on social distancing will be lifted in most circumstances.

Wearing face masks will no longer be mandatory in enclosed public spaces such as on public transport — a decision Unite branded “gross negligence.”

The legal requirement is set to be replaced with guidance suggesting that people might choose to continue to wear face coverings in crowded places.

The government will no longer instruct people to work from home, and limits on numbers meeting up will be dropped, allowing mass events such as festivals to take place.

All remaining businesses will be able to reopen, including nightclubs, and the limit on named care home visitors will be lifted. 

There will be no compulsory use of Covid-status certification — so-called domestic vaccine passports — although firms can voluntarily use the system.

Although the legal requirement to self-isolate will remain for people who have tested positive or have been identified as a contact by the test-and-trace system, Mr Johnson wants contacts who are fully vaccinated to be exempt.

Later this week, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps will give an update on plans to remove the need for fully vaccinated arrivals from amber-list countries to isolate, while Education Secretary Gavin Williamson will set out his plans for schools amid concern about the impact of the bubble system.

The announcement came after new Health Secretary Sajid Javid used a Mail on Sunday column to say that the country had to learn to accept the existence of coronavirus “just as we already do with flu.”

Labour told Mr Javid to declare how many Covid-related deaths he was willing to accept if the disease is to be compared to flu, which killed 22,000 people in the 2017-18 winter season, according to Public Health England.

Urging caution, Sage scientific advisory group member Professor Susan Michie warned that allowing community transmission to surge is like “building new ‘variant factories’ at a very fast rate,” a reference to the delta strain, first identified in India, which is now dominant in Britain. 

Professor Stephen Reicher, a member of the Spi-B group, which also advises ministers, stressed mitigation measures should continue. 

“Not lockdown, but support and proportionate mitigations to keep us safe,” he said, adding: “Along with the vaccine, that’s the way out.”

Branding the PM’s plans as “utterly irresponsible,” Unite assistant general secretary Steve Turner said: “It is absolutely staggering that the government has pronounced that we must now ‘live with Covid,’ yet they have put zero support in place.

“Draining down furlough support at this volatile time just makes no economic sense. Instead, the government should be rebooting the scheme.”

Mr Turner — who is running to be Unite’s next leader — said  the move is a “shameless effort to move on” from the government’s handling of the crisis, adding that public health “is not some bone to be chucked to the Tory back benches.” 

GMB general secretary Gary Smith said the move was a political decision.

“Rather than pander to pandemic hawks in his party, the [PM] should make the safety of workers — and the general public — a top priority,” he said. 

Unison assistant general secretary Jon Richards blasted the reported face-covering rule change, warning: “Now isn’t the time to throw caution to the wind.”

And agreeing, retail union Usdaw’s general secretary Paddy Lillis pointed out that shop workers have no option but to interact with large numbers of people each day.

He said: “Supermarket workers and delivery drivers have worked throughout the pandemic to keep the country supplied with essentials. These key workers must be valued, respected and protected.”

RMT leader Mick Lynch said the union would continue to fight for “the staffing levels and enhanced, in-house cleaning services that the pandemic has exposed as being key to delivering that safe operation.”

Calling for workplace safety to be taken seriously, TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady said: “Ministers must consult with unions and employers on clear and consistent guidance in every type of workplace. Otherwise we risk widespread confusion.

“In particular, ministers must consult with unions and employers before making any changes to the guidance on face coverings in sectors where they currently must be worn, such as retail.

“The government has to take the lead — not wash its hands of its responsibility.”

Parliamentary reporter @TrinderMatt