The following is a timeline of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom from July 2021 to December 2021.
There are significant differences in the legislation and the reporting between the countries of the UK: England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales. The numbers of cases and deaths are reported on a government Web site updated daily during the pandemic. The UK-wide COVID Symptom Study based on surveys of four million participants, endorsed by authorities in Scotland and Wales, run by health science company ZOE, and analysed by King's College London researchers, publishes daily estimates of the number of new and total current COVID-19 infections (excluding care homes) in UK regions, without restriction to only laboratory-confirmed cases.
Events July 2021 1 July The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme begins to wind down, with plans for it to cease at the end of September. Figures from HM Revenue & Customs show a million people came off the scheme during May 2021, with 2.4 million employees covered by it at the end of the month, the lowest number of workers on furlough during the pandemic. Prime Minister Boris Johnson announces he will set out the final step of the roadmap for lifting restrictions in England in the next few days, and says he hopes that life will return to as close as possible to its pre-pandemic status.
2 July On her final official visit to the UK, German Chancellor Angela Merkel announces that double vaccinated people from the UK should be able to travel to Germany without having to quarantine "in the foreseeable future". Following reports that the EU's vaccine passport scheme does not recognise the AstraZeneca vaccine manufactured by India's Serum Institute, Prime Minister Boris Johnson says he is "very confident" there "will not prove to be a problem" for travellers who have received the vaccine.
3 July As COVID cases rise again, the British Medical Association calls for some COVID restrictions to remain in England beyond 19 July, the day set for the final lifting of all restrictions.
4 July Downing Street confirms that Prime Minister Boris Johnson will set out the final stages of the road map out of lockdown at a press conference the following day. Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick says that from 19 July England will move into a period when legal restrictions are lifted and people will have to exercise "personal responsibility", including whether or not to wear a face mask. The Scottish Government says there will be an "ongoing need" for face masks after its restrictions are fully lifted on 9 August. Mick Antoniw, the Counsel General for Wales, says that Wales is "moving to a stage where we are having increasing normality". A group of business leaders under the banner of London First write an open letter to Prime Minister Boris Johnson urging ministers to "set the country clearly on the path to recovery" by encouraging people to return to the office.
5 July Prime Minister Boris Johnson sets out the last stage of the road map for lifting restrictions, expected to be on 19 July. It will see an end to the compulsory wearing of masks, of social distancing, the rule of six in private homes and the work from home rule. The plans will be confirmed on 12 July. The Duchess of Cambridge is required to self-isolate after coming into contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID, meaning that she misses events to mark the 73rd anniversary of the National Health Service, which are attended by her husband, the Duke of Cambridge. Germany announces the lifting of restrictions on travellers from the UK from Wednesday 7 July.
6 July Health Secretary Sajid Javid confirms that people in England who have received both vaccines will no longer be required to self-isolate when a close contact tests positive for COVID, from 16 August. Education Secretary Gavin Williamson confirms that the "bubble" system in English schools will cease from 19 July.
7 July Prime Minister Boris Johnson says the timetable for the road map out of England's restrictions are "balanced and reasonable" with the number of fully vaccinated people meaning it can go ahead as planned. The number of COVID cases in the UK rises above 30,000 for the first time since February with 32,548 cases recorded for this date; 33 deaths are recorded over the same period. Analysis produced by the BBC suggests 4.5 million people may be asked to self-isolate before the rules in England change for double vaccinated people on 16 August, placing strain on the economy and the health service. Ministers are urged to review the proposals. The UK government confirms the £20 Universal Credit top up introduced at the beginning of the pandemic will be phased out in the autumn. Figures produced by the Halifax Building Society indicate that house prices fell by 0.5% in June 2021 as the stamp duty holiday began to be phased out. More than 60,000 people are allowed to attend England's Euro 2020 semi-final match with Denmark at Wembley Stadium, meaning the stadium is at 75% capacity.
8 July The UK government confirms that fully vaccinated UK residents arriving into England from amber list countries will no longer be required to quarantine after 19 July, but will still be required to pay for COVID tests. Northern Ireland confirms it will adopt the same policy from 26 July, while Wales and Scotland are undecided on the matter.
9 July The UK government suggests the NHS contact tracing app will need to change after 19 July amid concerns over people deleting it to avoid self-isolating. The NHS COVID-19 app is to be tweaked so that fewer isolation alerts are sent out, it is reported, though the time when this change will be implemented is yet to be confirmed. Data from the Office for National Statistics shows that COVID infections are increasing, with one in 150 people estimated to have the virus. A study of one million people classed as clinically vulnerable during the early stages of the pandemic shows that vaccines work effectively for them. The Immigration Service Union warns that an increase in the number of travellers over the summer could lead to queues of up to six hours at UK airports during peak times.
10 July The Academy of Medical Royal Colleges warns that cases of COVID-19 will rise 'dramatically' before the situation improves. Ministers are reported to be considering exempting fully vaccinated NHS staff in England from having to self-isolate if they are contacted by contact tracing.
11 July Ahead of a press conference the next day, in which he is expected to confirm the lifting of restrictions on 19 July, Prime Minister Boris Johnson advises people to be cautious, and says that cases, currently at around 30,000 per day, will rise as society reopens. The CBI publishes a six-point plan in which it urges the government to bring forward planned changes to the rules governing self-isolation. Around 67,000 fans attend England's Euro 2020 final match against Italy at Wembley Stadium. The 90,000 capacity stadium is operating on reduced numbers because of the pandemic. A small number of fans without tickets manage to break into the stadium to watch the game.
12 July Health Secretary Sajid Javid and Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirm almost all COVID restrictions will be removed in England on 19 July. Javid announces that nightclubs and other similar venues will be encouraged to ask people to provide either proof of vaccination, immunity, or a negative test. More than 100 members of staff at Heathrow Airport are reported to be self isolating, with passengers complaining of long queues as a result of a staff shortage. Speaking Up for the Covid Generation, a report commissioned by I CAN estimates that 1.5 million children have fallen behind with their communication skills because of education time lost as a result of the pandemic.
13 July Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announces that Scotland will move to level zero restrictions from 19 July, but that the wearing of face coverings will remain mandatory for some time after that. Police say there has been a significant increase in the number of stalking cases in England and Wales during the pandemic, with 80,000 incidents recorded during 2020. Companies say they will take a cautious approach to bringing their employees back to the workplace after restrictions are lifted on 19 July in England. The House of Commons votes 319–246 to approve legislation requiring the compulsory vaccination of care home staff in England from October 2021. The UK government passes legislation to keep the international development budget at 0.5% of Gross Domestic Product with a majority of 35, despite 25 of their own MPs voting to block it. Boris Johnson has said the money is needed to keep down the national debt during the COVID crisis.
14 July The Welsh Government announces that most COVID restrictions in Wales will be lifted on 7 August. The rules regarding the numbers of people allowed to meet up indoors and outdoors will be scrapped, but face coverings will still be required in most indoor settings, including pubs, restaurants and schools. A report compiled by the Academy of Medical Science warns the health service could be placed under pressure by a surge in flu and other respiratory conditions during the coming winter. Ibiza, Majorca, Menorca and Formentera are to be moved to the amber list from Monday 19 July, fifteen days after they were moved to the green watch list. The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) and the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) have warned that the lifting of COVID restrictions in England on 19 July could lead to an increase in the number of infections among pregnant women. It is reported that some mortgage lenders are refusing loans to self-employed people who took government grants during the pandemic, with those working in hospitality, travel and entertainment the worst affected. Supermarket retailers Sainsbury's and Tesco have announced they will encourage customers to continue to wear face coverings after Monday 19 July, even though they will no longer be a legal requirement in England from that date. A group of trade unions has called forMPs to be excluded from the House of Commons if they refuse to wear a face covering. Masks are compulsory for Commons staff, but not for MPs as they are not employed by the House of Commons. Organisers of a scaled-down version of the Boomtown Festival titled the Boom Village Festival, and scheduled to be held near Winchester, have cancelled the event because of rising COVID cases in the area.
15 July A record 618,903 people were alerted to self-isolate by the NHS COVID-19 app in the week of 8–15 July. A further 48,553 daily COVID cases are recorded, the highest daily figure since February 2021, but broadly in line with the estimates of 50,000 cases by 19 July. Figures from NHS Test and Trace also show the NHS COVID-19 app sent out over half a million self-isolation alerts in the first week of July, with 530,126 alerts generated. Goldman Sachs announces that staff returning to its London offices will be required to wear face masks from 19 July, though unlike other banks they will not be required to have the vaccine. The meat industry warns that a shortage of staff because of COVID could affect production. A study led by Professor Calum Semple indicates that younger adults admitted to hospital with COVID are almost as likely to suffer complications as those over the age of 50. BBC News reports that Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust are trialling a therapy using a patient's own blood cells to treat lung scarring from COVID. Airlines UK urges the government to provide clarity on travel to Bulgaria and Croatia to which travellers are advised to avoid all but essential travel even though both are to be added to the green list from 19 July.
16 July The UK records 51,870 daily COVID cases, the first time the number of daily cases has passed 50,000 since January 2021.