Scientists say the scrapping of Covid programmes will cost more money in the long run, after it was accused of turning off the headlights at the first sign of dawn.
The React study, which randomly tests about 150,000 people across England each month to see how many are affected by coronaviruses, will be scrapped at the end of March.
Mass free testing is due to end on 1 April and funding is being withdrawn from studies that monitor infections in health workers and care homes.
Funding for UK's Covid trackers is axed.
The Office for National Statistics will continue with the Covid infection survey.
It comes as growing numbers of new infections in multiple countries led one expert to prompt speculation that Europe could be at the start of a sixth wave of Covid infections.
The current reliance on emergency booster programmes was less viable and would be slowed by the decisions on Covid surveillance.
It is a symptom of a policy-driven movement to ignore the fact that the Pandemic is not over and that we remain in a highly dynamic situation with respect to immunity. This is about as far away from the science as you can get.
Losing these programmes will cost more in terms of disruption than saved. It is a false economy and another example of short-term thinking.
Stephen Reicher said the decisions made no sense on public safety or public health grounds. He said that you don't know when it's time to turn them on again.
The Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies would no longer meet to discuss coronaviruses. The decision to stop funding these studies was more significant than standing down, according to Reicher.
The scientists are still working and can come back quickly. If the data isn't there, how can they work?
The situation could get worse if the free mass testing ends on April 1. Others will be put off by the cost.
The consequence will be that people become less aware of their responsibilities when they are infectious, and that the government has been highlighting so vociferously in the aftermath of their removal of other.
In the week ending 5 March, the percentage of people estimated to have tested positive for coronaviruses rose in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, while the percentage of infections compatible with the Omicron BA.2 variant also increased across all countries.
Austria, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Germany and many other European countries have seen a sharp increase in daily confirmed cases.
A sixth wave of Covid infections in Europe could be driven by a combination of the BA.1 and BA.2 Omicron variant and the relaxation of restrictions, according to Dr Eric Topol.
There are signs of a new wave starting in Europe and some of them are showing increases in Covid hospitalisations. It is difficult to determine if the cause is reducing or eliminating restrictions, or the rate of transmission.
Right now is the last time that countries like the UK and US should be cutting funding. As much as we would like it to be, the epidemic is far from over.
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