Boris Johnson confirmed the final stage of the country’s reopening plan.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced today that as of July 19, all COVID-19-related social rules and mandates will officially come to an end. This means an end to social distancing requirements and face mask mandates, as well as the “rule of six” for gatherings in private homes and work-from-home advisories. Prior to the end of the COVID mandates, the British government will conduct a final examination of the data and state of the country on July 12 before giving the official yay or nay. Updates on self-isolation for positive COVID cases, travel bubbles, and school recommendations are expected to follow in the next few days.

Johnson praised the vaccine rollout efforts in England, claiming that they are the reason the country is able to reopen. However, he warned that there will likely still be COVID cases even as mandates end and vaccines proliferate, and that the British populace “must reconcile ourselves, sadly, to more deaths from COVID.”

“If we don’t go ahead now when we’ve clearly done so much with the vaccination program to break the link… when would we go ahead?” he asked.

“We run the risk of either opening up at a very difficult time when the virus has an edge, has an advantage, in the cold months, or again putting everything off to next year.”

England will be the first country to attempt to lift all of its COVID restrictions at once in this manner. Some medical analysts are concerned about reopening in the summer, preferring a fall opening to give everyone time to get their second shot. Government advisors have countered that waiting until the fall could cause the reopening to coincide with flu season, as well as the return of children to school. It’s their belief that it is better to reopen now to get the inevitable surge of cases out of the way before conditions potentially worsen.