But will the changes affect how people behave? What is the risk to health? For some people - still shielding nearly two years on - the rules mean more than they do to the average person.

Polling of the public at large suggests that we have already stopped taking relatively easy measures to avoid personal risk.

For example, looking at the number of people who are avoiding crowded public places, or touching things in public, or physical contact with tourists, Britain is less cautious than any of the other 25 countries recently polled by YouGov.

Britons are also least likely to say they're making an effort to improve their own personal hygiene.

That attitude is reflected in the number of people moving around as well.

Although the number going to work and getting public transport is still down compared to before the pandemic, people going to various kinds of shops is back up to near 'normal' levels.

And despite that, cases, deaths and hospitalisations have been coming down steadily for weeks, since peaking in January.

Professor Sir David Spiegelhalter, Winton Professor of the Public Understanding of Risk at the University of Cambridge, pointed out that in the early part of 2022 there were actually fewer total respiratory deaths than in many recent pre-COVID years.

In the first five weeks of this year there were a total of 11,484 deaths where respiratory disease was the underlying cause, of which more than 4,500 were from COVID.

That is well below the first five weeks of last year, when nearly 40,000 people died from a respiratory disease, but also below the totals for the first five weeks of 2015, 2017 and 2018.

Even with these numbers, a survey of health leaders by the NHS Confederation showed that nearly 80% of them wanted free tests to remain publicly available, while three quarters wanted to maintain self-isolation for people with COVID.

Those 4,667 deaths from COVID so far this year all represent unique human stories and even more people left behind, as do the other 150,000 plus recorded so far.

End to self-isolation: 'Removing the safety net'

Away from the averages there are still people who will not welcome the loosening of restrictions.

"People who've got COVID could be anywhere. It's a bit unnerving," said Laura Beattie, 31, about the idea that self-isolation will no longer be required.

Laura lives in Stretford, Greater Manchester. She has cystic fibrosis and is awaiting a lung transplant. For the first thirteen months of lockdown she didn't leave her house.

Kate McIntosh, 33, from Cumbria, is in a similar situation. She has a rare form of vasculitis, an inflammation of blood vessels, and her immune system is suppressed because of the medication she takes to treat that.

Despite having four doses of the vaccine, antibody tests show that she hasn't built up any immunity to the disease. She's had pneumonia three times from a common cold, so knows she is at risk of serious illness if she catches COVID.

Several people she knows from an online support group have died from the disease.

"I'm still not doing a lot at all," she said. "I saw two friends inside for the first time in two years last week. Both had lateral flow tests before.

"[The news about rules being relaxed] felt like a kick in teeth to be honest. I can understand people wanting to be able to go back to their normal life and if they don't personally feel scared then I'm happy for them.

"If people want to go to the pubs, that's fine. I don't ever want to go the pub. But it's things like not wearing masks in supermarkets, for example. I haven't been in a supermarket in a long time, and it's not something I'm going to start doing anytime soon if people aren't wearing masks.

"I just think this is taking away the safety net for people who literally are relying on it to stay alive.

"I know not everyone's going to be testing frequently, but if you're actually confirmed as having it, then I really don't think it's reasonable or responsible for people to be mixing with other people."

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