The Guardian view on axing Covid rules and testing: this is not normal | Editorial

The longing for pre-pandemic life is natural. But we won't get back what we missed by pretending that the risks are over

Amid the gloom of February and the cost-of-living crisis, there are at least some reasons to be cheerful when it comes to coronavirus in the UK. Vaccinations have saved countless lives and allowed people to return to many of the activities they missed. The Omicron variant did not lead to the rocketing rates of hospitalisation and death initially feared, and infection and mortality rates are declining again.

The desire to return to pre-pandemic life is natural - a reaction to the sacrifices made and, more generally, to the exhaustion and emotional toll of the past two years. People are tired of thinking about Covid. But the best hope of maximising our freedoms is to rigorously monitor the spread of infection and enable people to protect themselves and others. The government appears set on dismantling the very things that make this possible.