SOUTH Dorset MP Richard Drax, is ‘delighted’ with the decision to end Covid restrictions, and said it was time for people to use their own common sense and return to normal life without ‘punitive’ laws that have caused ‘untold damage’.

He said: “This is a courageous and common sense move by the Prime Minister to end Plan B restrictions.

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“I am delighted that masks will no longer be mandatory. People should be able to use their common sense. There is still a recommendation that they should be worn in enclosed spaces where there are lots of people, and that is sensible.

"I have always been of the belief that a Government should recommend and advise - not use a sledgehammer to crack a nut or impose laws which are sometimes very hard to keep.

“I also welcome the fact that people are being encouraged to get back into the workplace. It is vital now, not just for their own jobs, but for the businesses that rely on people being at work and in office environments, such as hospitality which has suffered greatly."

Mr Drax also praised the Prime Minister for resisting calls from the opposition to impose harsher restrictions over the Christmas and New Year period - and said the data proved the decision had been the correct one.

Mr Drax has long been an outspoken opponent of state-enforced Covid restrictions and lockdowns, which he claims have destroyed livelihoods, wrecked the economy, ripped away vital life experiences for young people and left tens of thousands of patients untreated for other illnesses.

“There have been a number of us in Parliament, and of course outside Parliament, who have consistently said that lockdowns don’t work. They have caused untold damage to the country, the consequences of which we will be living with for a while, not least those waiting for operations or cancer treatment,” he said.

“I think now the evidence shows that all of those who agreed with us were right to question them.

“I did understand the first lockdown because everyone was terrified, it was a new virus we were dealing with and the Government instinctively thought it was doing the best thing in people’s interest, but further lockdowns have now proven to be the wrong decision. The damage they have caused is immense.

“But this was a challenge of which the like we hadn’t faced in decades, and I believe overall the government has done things right. The Prime Minister is a libertarian, as am I. We will have to live with Covid for the rest of our lives and it is time now that we start returning to normal.”

His comments come after businesses across the region spoke of their delight that restrictions had been lifted, saying the past two years had been 'exhausting'.