
Dom Joly 4am - 7am
22 February 2021, 15:40 | Updated: 22 February 2021, 22:28
Pubs and restaurants to open from 12 April outside
Boris Johnson has announced his "roadmap" out of lockdown, which aims to get life in England back to as close to normal as possible by July.
The Prime Minister announced his four steps to get the nation moving again, after weeks of the third lockdown to tackle the spread of Covid-19.
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.
Ministers will assess the success of the vaccine rollout, evidence of vaccine efficacy, new variants and infection rates before proceeding to the next step.
Read more: Pubs and restaurants to open in mid-April under PM's plan to lift lockdown
Read more: Face masks become mandatory in secondary schools - and other new rules
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".
Secondary school children will be told to wear face masks in schools corridors and classrooms, the PM said, in the first step, to further reduce any risk of spread.
Pubs and restaurants will be permitted to open outdoors no earlier than April 12, the same date hairdressers will also be allowed to open.
Indoor hospitality will be allowed to open no earlier than May 17.
International travel, which is almost completely banned at the moment, will not return any earlier than May 17.
Step 1
March 8
March 29
PM says there's no credible route to a zero Covid world
Step 2 - after five weeks of Step 1, no earlier than April 12
Theatres and cinemas will reopen on 17 May, says PM
Step 3 - after five weeks of Step 2, no earlier than May 17
Step 4 - after at least five weeks of Step 3, no earlier than June 21