Boris Johnson has announced a wholesale "bonfire" of Covid-19 rules with a new plan to get England to live with the virus.

The British Prime Minister has announced almost all restrictions, including gathering limits, mask mandates, social distancing rules and work from home guidelines, will no longer apply from July 19.

That's despite rising cases of the more infectious Delta strain, across the UK and parts of Europe.

New Zealand, meanwhile, is continuing to stick to the elimination strategy. Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins told RNZ that the country needs to "work hard over the next little while, the next probably couple of years" to keep Covid-19 out. 

Amesh Adalja, infectious diseases expert from Johns Hopkins University, told Heather du Plessis-Allan this is the wrong strategy.

"It is not something that can be eliminated or eradicated. This is something we want to tame with vaccine in high-risk populations, and possibly make similar to other respiratory viruses that we deal with."

He says that island nations may think they can keep it out, but "it is not going anywhere", and sustainable approach that allows life to continue is more realistic, and our population will need to be educated about that. 

"I think the New Zealand, Australia approach isn't reflective of that." 

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