Sage advisory group being stood down & will no longer meet to ­discuss Covid

THE Sage group of government science advisers is being stood down and will no longer meet to ­discuss Covid.

The move marks another step back to normality as most lockdown laws expire this month.

The Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies has been headed by England’s Chief Medical Officer Sir Chris Whitty and UK Chief Scientific Adviser Sir Patrick ­Vallance.

It met 105 times during the ­pandemic to help ministers understand data and studies about coronavirus and give advice on restrictions.

But cases fell again last week, with the Office for National Statistics saying the number infected in England dipped below two million for the first time since mid-December.

And the number in hospital is now 10,649.

That figure is around half of the January peak.

Professor James Naismith, of Oxford University, said last night: “Unless a new strain emerges that couples vaccine evasion and severity, the large number of deaths are behind us.

“In this light, the removal of restrictions has proven correct.”