British television personality Piers Morgan is urging the UK Government to allow people who have received a COVID-19 vaccine to "get their freedom back" while anti-vaxxers should be "thrown in a cave".
Morgan made the comments on Monday - the day the UK was originally planning to lift lockdown restrictions, meaning pubs, restaurants, nightclubs and other hospitality venues could fully reopen.
Morgan – who has been critical of the UK government throughout the pandemic – tweeted on Monday that increasing vaccination rates mean the UK Government should take a different approach.
"I've supported lockdowns as the only way to suppress covid without efficient testing systems or vaccines. But now we have both, fully vaccinated people should get their freedom back again from July 19," the former Good Morning Britain star said.
According to BBC, more than 43 million people in the UK have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine.
First vaccines are currently being offered to anyone aged 18 and over in England, Northern Ireland and Wales while Scotland is currently offering the jab to over 30s.
When asked about what should happen to people who refuse a vaccine, Morgan replied: "Those with legitimate medical reasons not to be jabbed must continue to take care, and be given due care. Anti-vaxxers can be thrown in a cave, yes".
A vaccine expert says it's currently encouraging that more than 81 percent of adults in the UK have had their first vaccine and 59 percent have had the required two.
"I think if the numbers continue to be promising then I think there’s great hope that we could open up on July 5," Prof Brendan Wren, an expert in vaccinology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, told Metro.
