Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Government conducted an assessment of the impact of lifting Plan B COVID-19 restrictions on Clinically Vulnerable and Clinically Extremely Vulnerable people prior to its announcement on 19 January 2022.

Plan B measures are being removed as we believe it is safe and proportionate to do so.

The Government ended the Shielding Programme on 15 September 2021. People who were previously considered clinically extremely vulnerable are advised to follow general guidance, while considering extra precautions to reduce the chance of infection. We issued updated public health advice on 24 December 2021 for people who were previously considered clinically extremely vulnerable which is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-on-shielding-and-protecting-extremely-vulnerable-persons-from-covid-19/guidance-on-shielding-and-protecting-extremely-vulnerable-persons-from-covid-19

Guidance for people whose immune system means they are at higher risk of serious outcomes from COVID-19 is available at the following link:

www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-guidance-for-people-whose-immune-system-means-they-are-at-higher-risk/covid-19-guidance-for-people-whose-immune-system-means-they-are-at-higher-risk

NHS England and NHS Improvement have written to general practices and hospital trusts in England to raise awareness of this new guidance.