As Melbourne’s lockdown is extended and Sydney stares down the barrel of at least another fortnight of restrictions, Great Britain has emerged from 18 months of shutdown on what is being dubbed “Freedom Day”.

But the easing of restrictions around the United Kingdom comes as the country experiences a third wave of COVID-19, this time from the deadly Delta strain. The decision to open up has been placed under scrutiny as the country records tens of thousands of new cases each day.

Today on Please Explain, Europe correspondent Bevan Shields joins Nathanael Cooper to talk about day one of so-called freedom.