Duchess of Cambridge self-isolating after COVID-19 contact

LONDON - The Duchess of Cambridge is self-isolating after having contact with someone who tested positive for the coronavirus. 

Kate had been due to attend events with her husband Prince William on Monday celebrating the 73rd birthday of Britain’s National Health Service. 

But the couple’s Kensington Palace office says the duchess is self-isolating at home after coming into contact last week with someone who subsequently tested positive for the novel coronavirus. 

Under current British rules, contacts of confirmed coronavirus cases must quarantine at home for 10 days. 

FILE - Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge attends Wimbledon Championships Tennis Tournament at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 02, 2021 in London, England.

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The palace says Kate, who is 39, does not have any symptoms of COVID-19. 

Both Kate and William received first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine in May. 

News of the duchess’ self-isolation comes as British Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed Monday that his government plans to scrap laws requiring face masks and social distancing later this month, though he acknowledged that lifting the restrictions will drive surging coronavirus cases even higher. 

Johnson said legal controls will be replaced by "personal responsibility" when the country moves to the final stage of its lockdown-lifting roadmap. That is scheduled to happen on July 19, though Johnson said a final decision would come on July 12. 

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The change will mean people can throw away masks after months of enforced face-covering, though businesses and transit operators may still require them, and they will still be recommended in some enclosed spaces. 

The removal of social distancing rules will allow nightclubs to reopen after 16 months of enforced shutdown, and patrons to once again order drinks at the bar in a pub. No longer will customers have to scan a phone app to provide their contact details when entering a restaurant or bar. 

The government will also stop instructing people to work from home if they can, leaving employers free to bring staff back to offices. 

The changes apply in England. Other parts of the U.K. — Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland — are following their own, broadly similar, road maps out of lockdown. 

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Britain has recorded more than 128,000 coronavirus deaths, the highest toll in Western Europe, and infections are rising due to the highly transmissible delta variant of the virus. Confirmed cases have shot up from about 2,000 a day earlier this year to 25,000 a day in the past week. But the number of deaths is broadly stable, at fewer than 20 a day. 

Public health officials say Britain’s vaccination program has weakened the link between infections and deaths, though not severed it. So far, 86% of U.K. adults have received at least one vaccine dose and 64% are fully vaccinated. The government aims to give everyone over 18 both shots by mid-September.