PM says lockdown road map will bring 'incomparably better' lives in spring and summer

22 February 2021, 19:21 | Updated: 23 February 2021, 10:41

We are on a 'one way road to freedom', says PM

By Kate Buck

Boris Johnson has hailed a "one way road to freedom" after setting out his plans to relax Covid rules and allow people to get back to some form of normality.

The plan aims to get life in England back to as close to normal as possible by July, with a four step plan to get the nation moving again.

Any and all relaxations will be conditional based on four tests, with the Government set to examine the data at each stage before unlocking further.

In the first step of the "road map", all pupils in England's schools are expected to return to class from March 8, with wider use of face masks and testing in secondaries.

Read more: Life almost back to normal by 21 June in Boris Johnson's 'roadmap' to freedom

Socialising in parks and public spaces with one other person will also be permitted from that date.

A further easing will take place on March 29, when the school Easter holidays begin, with larger groups of up to six people or two households allowed to gather in parks and gardens.

Speaking at a Downing Street press conference, the Prime Minister said over 17.7 million people have now received at least one Covid-19 dose, meaning "there is light ahead" as a result of the vaccination programme.

Boris Johnson earlier today announced his "roadmap" to come out of lockdown
Boris Johnson earlier today announced his "roadmap" to come out of lockdown. Picture: PA

Mr Johnson added it was time for the jabs to start replacing curbs on liberty as a way of protecting against Covid-19.

"We cannot persist indefinitely with restrictions that have separated families and loved ones for too long, threatened the livelihoods of millions, kept pupils out of school," he said.

"Thanks to the vaccinations there is light ahead, leading us to a spring and a summer, which I think will be seasons of hope, looking and feeling incomparably better for us all."

Read more: Face masks become mandatory in secondary schools - and other new rules

But while hailing the rollout of the vaccine, Mr Johnson also warned the country needed to be "realistic" in the fact there will be more deaths.

"The vaccines reduce the danger of Covid: they save lives and they keep people out of hospital," he said.

"But no vaccine against any disease has ever been 100 per cent effective, so whenever we ease the lockdown, whether it is today or in six or nine months, we’ve got to be realistic and accept that there will be more infections, more hospitalisations and therefore – sadly - more deaths, just as there are every year with flu."

The Prime Minister also promised the Government would do "whatever it takes to protect jobs and livelihoods" across the UK while the restrictions continue.

PM 'can't guarantee' that lockdown easing will be irreversible

Ministers will assess the success of the vaccine rollout, evidence of vaccine efficacy, new variants and infection rates before proceeding to the next step.

Each step will be in place for at least five weeks before experts asses whether it is safe to proceed to the next one.

The Prime Minister told MPs the approach was "cautious but also irreversible", with the impact of the vaccination programme replacing the need for lockdown measures.

He said a "wretched year would give way to a spring and a summer that will be very different and incomparably better".

PM says there's no credible route to a zero Covid world

What lockdown easing will look like:

Step 1
March 8

  • All schools to reopen
  • Outdoor school sports and activities allowed to resume
  • People allowed outdoors recreationally on a one-plus-one basis
  • Care home residents permitted one regular visitor and will be able to hold hands
  • Funerals to allow up to 30 people and weddings will allow 6

March 29

  • Up to six people or people from two households in outdoor spaces
  • Outdoor sports facilities to reopen (eg Tennis, Basketball courts)
  • Organised adult or children's sports activities can return
  • Outdoor child and parent groups can return (up to 15 parents)

Step 2 - after five weeks of Step 1, no earlier than April 12

  • Non-essential retail to open
  • Outdoor hospitality can reopen
  • Gyms and indoor leisure open for individual use
  • Hairdressers and personal care services can reopen
  • Outdoor attractions such as zoos, drive-thru cinemas and theme parks can reopen.
  • Driving lessons can reopen
  • Funeral wakes, weddings and receptions can have up to 15 people

Step 3 - after five weeks of Step 2, no earlier than May 17

  • Indoor hospitality, with no requirement for a substantial meal to be served alongside alcoholic drinks, and no curfew. The requirement to order, eat and drink while seated (‘table service’) will remain
  • 30 person limit outdoors - rule of six will apply indoors (subject to conditions)
  • International travel may be allowed (subject to conditions)
  • Remaining outdoor entertainment, such as outdoor theatres and cinemas can open
  • Indoor entertainment, such as museums, cinemas and children’s play area can open
  • Remaining accommodation, such as hotels, hostels and B&Bs will be allowed to operate
  • Adult indoor group sports and exercise classes
  • Some large events, including conferences, theatre and concert performances and sports events
  • Significant life events allowed up to 30 people

Step 4 - after at least five weeks of Step 3, no earlier than June 21

  • Remove all legal limits on social contact, allowing people to meet indoors
  • Nightclubs, theatres allowed to reopen (subject to conditions)
  • All limits on weddings and other life events removed

More Latest News

See more More Latest News

A man died after a 'disturbance' on Birkbeck Road Acton

Man dies and two hurt after ‘disturbance’ in street in west London

Sednaya Prison

'Iron press' used 'to crush prisoners in Assad's 'human slaughterhouse' is uncovered amid race to free Syria inmates

c

Appeal for witnesses with 'vital' information after murder of top chef Mussie Imnetu at Notting Hill Carnival

A Taiwan national flag flutters near the Taipei 101 building at the National Dr Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hall in Taipei, Taiwan

Taiwan says China sent naval ships into nearby waters before anticipated drills

An Israeli soldier stands guard at a security fence near the so-called Alpha Line that separates the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights from Syria

Israel says it has struck suspected chemical weapons sites in Syria

Video has emerged purporting to show a tunnel network under one of Assad's palaces

Video emerges of Assad ‘family bunker’ underneath palaces - with ‘escape tunnels’ big enough to drive through

Jay-Z

Jay-Z breaks silence after being accused of raping girl, 13, with Diddy in bombshell legal claim

A Palestinian man mourns over bodies of a victim following Israeli bombardments, at the morgue of Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip

Israeli strikes in Gaza kill at least six people overnight, say medical officials

Exclusive
An investigation by LBC has found there are more than 89,000 stillborn babies buried in mass graves across England.

More than 89,000 stillborn babies buried in mass graves across England as parents search for childrens' remains

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol

South Korean ministry imposes travel ban on President Yoon over martial law move

Syrian dictator Bashsar al-Assad has fled to Moscow after rebels seized power in Damascus

Starmer welcomes end of 'barbaric' Assad regime - as former Syrian dictator given political asylum in Moscow

A participant wearing a mask of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol attends a rally demanding his impeachment outside the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea

South Korean police considering overseas travel ban on president

Mr Yoon's martial law decree has plunged South Korea into huge political turmoil

South Korean police considering overseas travel ban on President Yoon Suk Yeol over martial law declaration

Flowers left at Adass Israel Synagogue in the Melbourne suburb of Ripponlea

Arson attack on Australian synagogue declared terrorist act

Meet the Press - Season 78

Donald Trump vows to end automatic citizenship for anyone born in US in new interview

Taylor Swift performs during “The Eras Tour” in Vancouver, British Columbia, Friday, Dec. 6, 2024. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP)

Taylor Swift kicks off final night of record-breaking Eras Tour as she takes stage in Vancouver