Boris Johnson finally reveals his roadmap out of lockdown

Boris Johnson batted away complaints from Tories and business tonight after unveiling an ultra-cautious ‘roadmap’ out of lockdown by June – with schools reopening in a fortnight but little else set to change for months.

Flanked by Chris Whitty and Patrick Vallance as he defended his long-awaited four-phase exit strategy at a No10 briefing, the PM stated that ‘Covid zero’ was not possible and the return to normality must begin even though cases will rise. 

However, Mr Johnson made clear he was prioritising ‘certainty over urgency’, saying he is being as ‘dynamic as possible in the circumstances’ and the ‘crocus of hope’ is starting to appear. Prof Whitty and Sir Patrick said there are still very significant numbers of people infected with Covid and going to fast risked the outbreak spiralling again. 

The premier confirmed that all schools in England will reopen from March 8 as the first step on the ‘one-way road to freedom’. 

But secondary pupils will need to wear masks in class for ‘weeks’ after the move – and there are precious few other easings until Easter, with scientists seemingly having won the battle for a slow approach. 

The only other relaxation to come at the same time as schools return is permission to meet socially with one friend or family member in the park for a coffee or a picnic.

The next stage of loosening will not be until March 29, when the formal Stay at Home edict is finally dropped in favour of ‘Stay Local’, and the Rule of Six makes a comeback. It will be extended to allow two households to gather, enabling relatives to meet properly for the first time in months.

That date will also see the reopening of tennis courts and golf courses and the return of grassroots football.

But shops, hairdressers and pubs must remain closed until April 12 at the earliest – the same time gyms can get back up and running – regardless of mounting fears about the economic meltdown. Even at that point pints and meals can only be consumed outdoors. 

Campsites and holiday lets can reopen for single households from April 12 – but international travel is completely off the cards until at least May 17. Theresa May has lashed out at Mr Johnson for ordering a review of the holiday season that will not conclude for another eight weeks from now, warning it will be useless as the industry needs three months to prepare for changes.  

Social distancing rules will stay in force until June 21 at the minimum, with a government review to decide their future after that. The decision means that grandparents face months of waiting before they can hug their grandchildren – even though millions have already been vaccinated.

Another review will be held at that point to decide whether a system of vaccine certificates could be deployed within the UK to help open up the economy, something the government has previously said it is not considering.

Sports can start to return from May 17, although venues will need to work on reduced capacities.

Up to 30 people can go to weddings from the same date, but are stuck at that number until the next phase of the roadmap.

Only at June 21 will all legal limits on social contact go, and the remaining elements of the hospitality sector be allowed to open. The PM stressed that he is being driven by ‘data not dates’ and the timeline is not guaranteed.

The blueprint, which runs to 60 pages, included modelling supporting the government’s tentative strategy. It was published alongside further positive news about the effectiveness of jabs in reducing transmission. A major study published today found they were working ‘spectacularly well’ and cutting hospital admissions by as much as 95 per cent. 

But Mr Johnson faces the wrath of his own benches, with senior Tories demanding to know why loosening is being delayed beyond the point when all over-50s are vaccinated and pointing out the hospitality and aviation sectors are on the verge of disaster.

He set four tests for continuing with any easing including no new concerns emerging about variant strains. The other criteria are the vaccine rollout going well, jabs being effective at reducing hospital admissions and deaths, and avoiding a surge in hospital cases. 

Mr Johnson said tonight: ‘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.

‘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.’

He said: ‘The crocus of hope is poking through the frost, and spring is on its way, both literally and metaphorically. But I won’t be buccaneering, as you put it, with people’s lives, and nor will anybody in government.’ 

He also again hinted at an extension of furlough, saying the government will do ‘whatever it takes to protect jobs and livelihoods’ while the restrictions continue.

The latest development in the pandemic came as: 

• Covid cases have risen for the first time in six weeks with 10,641 new infections in 24 hours, while deaths tumbled to 178 in the lowest toll since December 13. The UK’s vaccine rollout also dished out just 150,000 jabs in its worst performance yet; 
• Couples and suppliers must wait until March 8 to have weddings and receptions with up to just six people – with unrestricted big days not set to occur before June 21; 
• Teaching unions have demanded Boris Johnson scrap his plan to reopen all schools in England on March 8 in favour of a more cautious phased return to classrooms; 
• Mr Zahawi said that the government was hoping this will be the last ‘severe’ coronavirus lockdown in England; 
• Labour has insisted it supports schools reopening in full on March 8 despite opposition from teaching unions and Sir Keir Starmer saying there must be a considered approach; 
• One in three adults have received a Covid jab as the government brings forward its target for vaccinating the whole population to July;
• Scientists have hailed early data showing the vaccines reduce transmission of coronavirus as well as easing its effects;
• The funeral of Captain Sir Tom Moore will be held on Saturday, in what the family said would be a ‘small’ service; 
• Surge testing was introduced in Brentwood, Essex, following the discovery of the South African variant in the area. 

At the briefing this evening, Prof Whitty said there are still ‘very significant’ numbers of people with coronavirus every day in the UK.

He added: ‘There is still a lot of people in hospital with this disease. This is not the end, but this is the point where we can have a steady, risk-based, data-driven opening up.

‘But everybody must stick to the guidelines as they go through the different stages, because if we don’t do that then we will get to a stage where the rates go up very high and you’ll find there are people who are not protected by the vaccinations.

‘These are not 100 per cent effective, as the Prime Minister said.’

The Government’s chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick ‘completely’ agreed with Prof Whitty, adding: ‘The caution of going every five weeks is very important because we need to measure so that we’re not flying blind on this.

‘We need to know what the impact of the opening up steps are.’

Sir Patrick also suggested that the public needs to be prepared for some restrictions, such as masks, to return next winter. 

In the Commons this afternoon, Mr Johnson said the ‘threat remains’ from the disease and cases, hospitalisations and deaths will rise in the coming months because no vaccines can offer 100 per cent protection for the whole population. 

‘At every stage our decisions will be led by data not dates,’ the premier told MPs. 

Mr Johnson defended the five-week gap between the main steps in the roadmap, even longer than had been anticipated. He said it takes four weeks to assess the impact of each step, and the country needs a week’s notice for changes. Going any faster could mean having to reimpose the lockdown, he said.

‘I won’t take that risk,’ Mr Johnson said. 

He admitted that the surging vaccine drive had encouraged many to think it is possible to ‘go faster’.

‘I understand their frustration and I sympathise very much with the exhaustion and the stress that people are experiencing and businesses are experiencing… but to them I say the end really is in sight.’  

Mr Johnson dropped a strong hint that furlough could be extended beyond the end of April amid the slow relaxation, saying the government will keep doing ‘all it takes’ to prop up jobs and firms.  

Mr Johnson said the road map will ‘guide us cautiously but irreversibly towards reclaiming our freedoms’.

In the Commons, he said: ‘The threat remains substantial with the numbers in hospital only now beginning to fall below the peak of the first wave in April.

‘But we are able to take these steps because of the resolve of the British people and the extraordinary success of our NHS in vaccinating more than 17.5 million people across the UK.’

Mr Johnson said ‘no vaccine can ever be 100 per cent effective’.

He told MPs: ‘So, as the modelling released by Sage today shows, we cannot escape the fact that lifting lockdown will result in more cases, more hospitalisations and sadly more deaths.

‘And this would happen whenever lockdown is lifted – whether now or in six or nine months – because there will always be some vulnerable people who are not protected by the vaccines.

‘There is therefore no credible route to a zero-Covid Britain, or indeed, a zero-Covid world and we cannot persist indefinitely with restrictions that debilitate our economy, our physical and mental wellbeing and the life chances of our children.’

He said he will not take the risk of having to reimpose restrictions as a result of lifting lockdown at a quicker pace.

He told the Commons: ‘The chief medical officer is clear that moving any faster would mean acting before we know the impact of each step, which would increase the risk of us having to reverse course and reimpose restrictions, I won’t take that risk.

‘Step one will happen from March 8, by which time those in the top four priority groups will be benefiting from the increasing protection they receive from their first dose of the vaccine.’

Mr Johnson suggested people should not give up hope of summer holidays abroad in response to calls from Conservative former prime minister Theresa May to assist the aviation sector.

Mrs May said: ‘He says there’s going to be a taskforce report by April 12 so people can plan for the summer – that won’t allow people to plan.

‘At every stage the Government has taken weeks from these reports to actually provide certainty to the industry. The industry needs three months’ preparation from the point of certainty.’

She asked Mr Johnson to ‘look again’ at the timetable and bring it forward to ‘open up our international air travel and make sure that Britain is open for business’.

Mr Johnson said the Government will continue to support the sector, adding: ‘I believe setting a deadline of April 12 for the report of the reconstituted travel taskforce will give people time to make their plans for the summer.

‘If things go well, if we can meet these not before dates, then I do believe there is every chance of an aviation recovery later on this year.’

In a heavy hint at an extension of furlough, Mr Johnson said: ‘In view of these cautious but, I hope, irreversible changes, people may be concerned about what these changes mean for the various support packages for livelihoods, for people and the economy.

‘So I want to reassure the House we will not pull the rug out – for the duration of the pandemic the Government will continue to do whatever it takes to protect jobs and livelihoods across the UK.

‘And the Chancellor will set out further details in the Budget next Wednesday.’

Mr Johnson said: ‘Of course there will be others who will believe we could go faster on the basis of that vaccination programme and I understand their feelings and I sympathise very much with the exhaustion and the stress that people are experiencing and that businesses are experiencing after so long in lockdown.’

He added: ‘Today the end really is in sight and a wretched year will give way to a spring and a summer that will be very different and incomparably better than the picture we see around us today.’

Sir Keir Starmer urged Mr Johnson to resist any pressure to lift restrictions more quickly.

He told the Commons: ‘I know the Prime Minister will come under pressure from those on his own benches to go faster and to throw caution to the wind.

‘Last week, it was reported that around 60 of his own members of Parliament called for the end of all restrictions by the end of April.

‘I’m sure there are going to be similar calls this afternoon. I hope the Prime Minister takes the opportunity to face this down because if this road map is to work he needs to listen to the chief scientific officer and the chief medical officer, not (Conservative MP Steve Baker) or (Conservative MP Mark Harper).

‘If the Prime Minister does, he will have our support and will secure a majority in the House. If he does not, we will waste all the sacrifices of the last 12 months.’

However, former minister Mark Harper – chair of the 70-strong Covid Recovery Group of lockdown-sceptic Tories – asked why restrictions were needed at all after the most vulnerable groups have been vaccinated.

He said: ‘Could I just press (the Prime Minister) on the thoughts behind vaccinating groups one to nine, so that’s everyone over 50 and those 16 to 64 with a health condition that makes them vulnerable to Covid.

‘Those groups account for 99 per cent of deaths and around 80% of hospitalisations. So for what reason, once they’ve been vaccinated and protected from Covid by the end of April at the latest, is there any need for restrictions to continue?’

Boris Johnson responded: ‘(Mr Harper) makes an excellent point. The difficulty is that of course there will be at least a significant minority who either have not taken up the vaccine, in those vulnerable groups for the reasons that the House has been discussing, or who, having had the vaccine… not given sufficient protection.

‘We believe that the protection is very substantial but there will be a large minority who will not have sufficient protection and the risk is that if you let the brakes off, then the disease could surge up in such a way as again to rip through those groups in a way that, alas, I don’t think anybody in this country would want to see.

‘So I’m afraid it’s pure mathematics, there is still a substantial body of risk and we also need to wait and see exactly what the effects of the vaccine are. There are some promising data but I think what the country will want at this stage is caution and certainty and irreversibility and that is what we aim to provide.’

Tory MP Steve Baker MP branded the plan a ‘hammer blow’ to key parts of the economy. ‘Today’s pace of change will be a hammer blow to aviation, pubs, restaurants, hotels, gyms and pools, the arts and entertainment. Once again, it seems to be modelling, not data, driving decisions.

‘That’s why we need reform to drive up the standard of modelling, introduce competitive expert advice with challenge and a new public health act to insist on regular, amendable motions and serious impact assessments.

‘With the Government now acknowledging the range of harms from restrictions and who they will hit hardest, the case for reform grows stronger.’

Conservative former leader Sir Iain Duncan pressed for changes to the hospitality plan.

Sir Iain said: ‘I just wonder whether the Prime Minister would feel it possible to be able to review again the nature of opening up inside those restaurants and pubs, and checking that there is no real risk beyond any of the other elements of opening up? And if that is the case, to take that bold decision as and when the data dictates it.’

Mr Johnson said: ‘I totally understand where he’s coming from and the urgency of those in the hospitality sector who want to open up as soon as possible, as indeed we all do.

‘But we also understand the risk of another surge and the consequent risk of a fourth lockdown – which I don’t think anybody wants to see, least of all the businesses concerned.

‘I think in this very difficult time with these difficult trade-offs, I think people would be prepared to trade some urgency and some haste for more certainty and more reliability – and that is what we aim to give.’

Peterborough MP Paul Bristow also waded in with an attack on Mr Johnson’s stance.

‘Because the UK is ahead of others on vaccinations we can open up sooner,’ he said. 

‘(Mr Johnson) said he would focus on data, not dates, but these five weeks of dates seem arbitrary.

‘If progress against the four tests look better than expected, might the Government be flexible and review the data and restrictions on a weekly or fortnightly basis and not on predetermined dates?’

Mr Johnson replied: ‘These not-before dates aren’t arbitrary, they are crucial and they are determined by the time you need to evaluate the impact on the pandemic of the openings up that we are doing.’ 

Outside the chamber, ex-Cabinet minister David Davis said the positive news on vaccines together with the warmer weather going into the summer meant cases will fall. He urged the PM to ensure changes to the lockdown were ‘irreversible’. 

Tory MP Tim Loughton warned that there must not be ‘any more shifting of the goalposts’, attacking the idea that a five-week delay is needed between loosenings. He told Sky News the ‘default’ position should be to ease the crackdown. ‘Let’s be opening all these things up unless something absolutely material information changes that,’ he said. ‘We now have a third of the adult population vaccinated with vaccines that appear to be effective…

‘That’s a wholly different situation to that we were in the last lockdown.’

Former chief whip Mark Harper, chair of the 70-strong Tory Covid Recovery Group, said: ‘Keeping restrictions in place ”because a new variant may come along in the future” is a recipe for never unlocking. Ever.’

Children in Scotland and Wales are already returning to classrooms from today, although the move is being staggered.  

Business chiefs are urging Mr Johnson to ‘be bold’ to save the economy.

Emma McClarkin, chief executive of the British Beer and Pub Association, said now was the time ‘to commit to reopening our pubs so that thousands of communities and businesses up and down the country can begin to emerge from this crisis’

In a round of interviews this morning, Mr Zahawi said the lockdown easing will be a case of ‘steady as she goes’.

Asked if travelling distances to see family would be permitted from March 29, he said: ‘As long as it’s outdoors, and it is two families, or the rule of six, then that is what will be permitted if the four tests continue to be delivered upon.

‘That will be the national lockdown, of course Scotland, as you mentioned, Northern Ireland and Wales will be setting out their own road map towards reopening their economies as well.

‘So at the moment, the focus is very much on the steady as she goes. Outdoor versus indoor, priority being children in schools, second priority is obviously allowing two people on March 8 to meet outside for a coffee to address some of the issues around loneliness and of course mental health as well.

‘And then the 29th is two families or rule of six coming together and outdoor sporting activities as well.’

Mr Zahawi confirmed that the PM will also announce data on the effect of coronavirus jabs on hospital admissions and deaths alongside the road map.

‘Suffice to say the evidence looks good,’ he told Sky News.

‘The Oxford team demonstrated their own evidence of cutting transmission by two thirds.

‘We wouldn’t be in this place this morning to be able to say that we’re going to reopen schools on March 8, and of course, as the school holidays begin on March 29, we will look at the rule of six and two families being (able) to see each other outdoors, if we’re not confident that actually the vaccine programme is beginning to really bear fruit.’

Mr Zahawi did not deny that opening all schools could push the R number over one, but he insisted the government is being ‘careful’. 

‘First of all, it’s no coincidence that the 8 March date has been chosen because the middle of February is when we offered the vaccine to the top four most vulnerable cohorts, and those who look after them,’ he said. 

‘That is three weeks after that last person has had the first dose, when the protection really does kick in. And so we are being deliberately careful. And, of course, [we are] allowing teachers notice to be able to prepare.

‘So it’s ambitious, but it’s also careful, and it’s data driven.’ 

Mr Johnson said further restrictions will be lifted in the weeks after March 8, as long as the four tests designed to keep the pressure off the NHS keep being met.

They are that: the vaccine deployment programme continues successfully; evidence shows the jabs are effective at reducing hospital admissions and deaths; infection rates do not risk a surge in hospital cases; and no risky new variants emerge. 

The Prime Minister said he would bring the country out of lockdown ‘cautiously’.

‘Our priority has always been getting children back into school… and we will also be prioritising ways for people to reunite with loved ones safely,’ he said.

In another piece of positive news, researchers have suggested that both the Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines have a strong impact on reducing hospital cases.

Covid vaccines being used in Britain are working ‘spectacularly well’ at slashing hospital admissions in Scotland and preventing even mild infections among health workers in England, the first real-world data revealed today.

Public Health England and top researchers in Scotland have published two separate papers linking up coronavirus data with vaccinations, revealing that jabs are both bringing down hospital admissions and preventing infections.

A single dose of Pfizer’s vaccine can cut the risk of testing positive with or without symptoms by 70 per cent, PHE found, rising to 85 per cent after a second jab.

And a dose of either Pfizer and AstraZeneca reduces someone’s risk of developing Covid severe enough to need hospital treatment by between 85 and 94 per cent, according to a separate study in Scotland.

PHE’s study showed that the Pfizer jab gave 57 per cent protection against Covid among over-80s from dose one, and this appeared to rise to 88 per cent after a second jab, although this data is preliminary. There was not enough information to make the same analysis for Oxford/AstraZeneca’s jab.

Experts dubbed the findings ‘very encouraging’, ‘a good sign’ and ‘reasons to be optimistic’ – they come as Boris Johnson today outlines Britain’s route out of lockdown, with schools expected to properly reopen in England from March 8, with further measures being loosed in the following weeks.

Government advisers on SAGE are still cautious, warning that 94 per cent protection ‘is not 100 per cent’ and that millions will still be at risk of Covid even with high vaccine coverage.

Public Health England today published the results of its SIREN study, which looks at how coronavirus is affecting medical workers across the country.

Medical staff have been among the top priority groups for vaccinations and also at a high risk of catching the virus during the second wave, so they are an extremely useful group for studying the effectiveness of the jabs.

Out of 23,324 health workers in the study, 89 per cent were vaccinated by February 5. There were 977 cases of coronavirus recorded in people before they were vaccinated, compared to 71 among people who were three weeks post-vaccination, PHE’s Dr Susan Hopkins said today. A further nine tested positive within a week of the jab.

The PHE epidemiologist told a news briefing: ‘Overall we’re seeing a really strong effect at reducing any infection.’

The study summarised the protection against coronavirus infection of any severity to be ‘at least 70 per cent 21 days after the first dose, increasing to at least 85 per cent 7 days after the second dose.’

Preventing people from testing positive for the disease almost certainly means that the vaccines will stop transmission, which is a boon for the Government’s plans to end lockdown this summer.

Clinical trials had not studied this before, instead looking only at symptomatic infection, hospital admissions or deaths. These are most important for preventing people from dying, but stopping the virus spreading is crucial for returning life to normal.

PHE also published separate data from a group of 148,052 over-70s showing that the vaccine protects elderly people (over-80) against Covid-19 symptoms by a factor of 57 per cent three weeks after the first dose. This is then boosted to more than 85 per cent after the second dose.

In all age groups people’s risk of getting such bad Covid that they need to go to hospital drops by over 75 per cent after a single dose of Pfizer’s jab, PHE said. For over-80s there is a 40 per cent reduction.

And the risk of death among people older than 80 is lowered by 56 per cent from two weeks after a first dose of Pfizer’s vaccine.

Dr Mary Ramsay, the head of immunisation at PHE said: ‘This is strong evidence that the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine is stopping people from getting infected, while also protecting cases against hospitalisation and death.’

She said people should be ‘very encouraged’ by the data but added: ‘Protection is not complete, and we don’t yet know how much these vaccines will reduce the risk of you passing Covid-19 onto others.

‘So even if you have been vaccinated, it is really important that you continue to act like you have the virus, practice good hand hygiene and stay at home.’

PHE’s study comes after research published this morning by Public Health Scotland, the University of Edinburgh and the University of Strathclyde, among others, that showed both Pfizer and Oxford’s jabs are working north of the border.

Using real-world data from members of the public – the first of its kind in the UK – the researchers found that the vaccines led to an 85-94 per cent reduction in hospital admission from four weeks after the first dose.

That study was based on an analysis of data from the 1.14million doses dished out between December 8 and February 15.

It linked up people’s vaccination records to reports of hospital admissions for Covid-19 to see whether people who had had a jab were coming less often than those who hadn’t.

It showed that among those aged 80 and over — one of the highest risk groups — vaccination was associated with an 81 per cent reduction in hospitalisation risk in the fourth week, when the results for both vaccines were combined.

Protection increased over time for both vaccines, from 38 per cent (Pfizer) and 70 per cent (Oxford) after one week – before the jab is expected to work at all – to 85 per cent (Pfizer) and 94 per cent (Oxford) after four weeks.

Oxford’s appeared to be heading towards the almost total protection against severe Covid seen in clinical trials, but the study was not long enough to capture this. Pfizer’s protection was also extremely high and rising.

Professor Aziz Sheikh, the study director from the University of Edinburgh, said: ‘Overall we are very, very impressed with the both the vaccines. When you move beyond the trial settings you never know what the results are going to be.

‘Out in the field… both of these are working spectacularly well.’

The UK today recorded 10,641 coronavirus infections in the first week-on-week rise since the beginning of January, while deaths have tumbled to the lowest levels since mid-December with 178 new victims.

Department of Health figures show Covid cases are 9 per cent up on last Monday, when 9,765 were declared. But fatalities have dropped by almost a quarter, from 230.

Separate data also show Britain dished out just 150,000 vaccines yesterday, in the worst daily performance since the mammoth NHS roll-out began to gather speed last month. A successful inoculation drive is crucial to Britain’s hopes of lockdown being eased drastically in the next few month.

And although the study is specific to Scotland, Dr Josie Murray, of Public Health Scotland, said: ‘A lot of this is transferable information that would be applicable across the UK.’

Dr Jim McMenamin, of Public Health Scotland, said: ‘These results are important as we move from expectation to firm evidence of benefit from vaccines.

‘Across the Scottish population the results shown a substantial effect on reducing the risk of admission to hospital from a single dose of vaccine.

‘For anyone offered the vaccine I encourage them to get vaccinated. We are continuing our evaluation and look forward to describing the benefits that we hope will follow the second doses of these vaccines.’

Professor Chris Robertson, an epidemiologist at the University of Strathclyde, said: ‘These early national results give a reason to be more optimistic about the control of the epidemic.

‘They also show the value of linked national data sets with academic research groups working closely with public health institutes.’

But SAGE experts warned in a later briefing today that, although the vaccine results are promising, they are not a silver bullet.

Millions of people will remain vulnerable to the virus if lockdown is lifted too soon, Sir Patrick Vallance warned, even if uptake of the vaccine is high.

Sir Patrick, the chief scientific adviser to the Government, told a briefing the Scotland data were ‘very encouraging’.

But Dame Angela McLean, deputy chief scientific adviser, cautioned: ‘Uptake is not 100 per cent and a 94 per cent reduction in deaths is not 100 per cent. These are fantastic but they’re not perfect.’

Top scientists have so far stuck to cautiously optimistic tones about vaccines, avoiding getting carried away with good news but admitting they expect to see the rollout reduce hospitalisations and deaths ‘any minute now’.

Other experts said last week that they were already seeing ‘early signs’ of their impact on these key measures.

Mr Johnson’s roadmap was signed off by senior ministers at a special Covid-S meeting yesterday, and rubber-stamped by the Cabinet this morning.

Boris Johnson’s lockdown exit strategy in full: All schools back on March 8, two households meeting outdoors from March 29, non-essential shops, pubs and hairdressers open from April 12 and back to normal on June 21 

Boris Johnson today unveiled his lockdown exit strategy which could see life in England return to something close to normal by June at the earliest. 

The Prime Minister’s plan for easing restrictions will be split into four separate steps and will see the country treated as a whole, with no return to a tier system. 

The loosening of lockdown will begin on March 8 when all schools across the country will return. 

Rules will then be lifted at five-weekly intervals to allow four weeks to measure the impact of changes and to give a further week’s notice before the next step comes into force.

However, the Government has stressed that the dates set out in the roadmap are ‘not before dates’ and that they could change depending on the scale of the coronavirus outbreak. 

Below is a breakdown of the measures outlined in each step:  

Step One Part One: March 8

From March 8, all pupils and students will return to schools and colleges across England.  

University students who require practical teaching to complete their studies will also be allowed to return. 

But university students who do not need practical teaching will still be banned from campuses with ministers due to conduct a review by the end of the Easter holidays on the options for their return.

So-called wrap-around childcare will also be allowed to resume, paving the way for before and after school clubs to restart.  

People will be allowed to meet one other person outside for recreation, for example, to have a picnic or to meet for coffee. 

Meanwhile, care home residents will be able to have one regular named visitor.  

The Government’s stay at home order will remain in place, with travel for non-essential purposes still banned.  

Step One Part Two: March 29 

From March 29, outdoor gatherings of up to six people or a larger group from up to two households will be allowed. These gatherings will be allowed to happen in private gardens as well as in public spaces like parks.     

Outdoor sports like tennis and basketball will be allowed to resume and people will also be able to take part in formally organised outdoor sports.  

It is at this point that the Government’s stay at home guidance will end, to be replaced by ministers encouraging people to ‘stay local’. 

However, the Government is not expected to define exactly what constitutes local, instead choosing to rely on people using their common sense to decide on journeys. 

People will still be told to work from home wherever possible while international travel will still be banned unless it is for essential purposes. 

Step Two: April 12 

Non-essential retail will be allowed to reopen as well as personal care businesses like hairdressers, barbers and nail salons. 

Public buildings like libraries, museums and art galleries will be allowed to welcome back customers. 

Meanwhile, hospitality venues and outdoor attractions like theme parks will be given the green light to reopen in some form. 

However, there will still be rules on household mixing: Essentially any activity which involves being indoors will be restricted to members of the same household. 

Gyms and swimming pools will also reopen from April 12 but only on the basis that people go on their own or with members of their own household. 

Pubs and restaurants will be able to reopen but at this point they will only be able to have customers outdoors. 

Any visits to a pub or restaurant will have to comply with the rules on social contact, so no more than two households or the rule of six.

The Government will not be bringing back the old requirement for people to order a substantial meal with alcohol while the old 10pm curfew will also be ditched.

All customers at hospitality venues will have to be seated when they order food or drink, with ordering at the bar prohibited.

Campsites and holiday lets where indoor facilities are not shared with other households can also reopen but trips must be restricted to a single household. 

Funerals will be allowed to continue with up to 30 people, while the rules on wedding receptions will be eased to allow the number of guests to increase from six to 15. 

The Government will also launch pilot programmes in April to see how events with large crowds and reduced social distancing could work.

A new task force looking at how to increase inbound and outbound international travel, while also protecting against importing coronavirus variants, will report on April 12. 

The expectation is that international travel will not resume until May 17 at the very earliest.   

Step Three: May 17

The two household and rule of six requirements for outdoor gatherings will be ditched but gatherings of more than 30 people in places like parks will still be banned. 

Crucially, mixing indoors will be allowed again. The rule of six or a larger group from up to two households will be allowed to meet. 

However, this will be kept under review by ministers to see if rules could be relaxed still further. 

This is also the point at which pubs and restaurants and other hospitality venues will be able to open indoors, with the rule of six and two household limit in place. Larger groups will be able to meet outdoors at a pub.    

Entertainment venues like cinemas and children’s play areas will be able to reopen, as will hotels and B&Bs. Indoor adult sports groups and exercise classes can also reopen.

Changes will also be made to sporting and performance events in indoor venues with a capacity of 1,000 people or half full, whichever is lower, will be allowed, while outdoors a capacity of 4,000 people will be allowed or half full, whichever is lower. 

In the biggest outdoor stadiums, up to 10,000 fans will be allowed to attend matches or a quarter of capacity, whichever is lower.  

Rules on weddings will be eased further, with up to 30 people allowed to attend receptions as well as other life events including christenings. 

A Government review on whether to introduce vaccine passports or ‘Covid Status Certification’ documents is due to report before Step Four. 

It will look at whether the documents, which could show if someone has been tested or if they have had a jab, could help to reopen the economy and make life easier.

A review of social distancing measures is also due to conclude before Step Four. 

It will look at issues like working from home, the wearing of face masks and the one metre plus rule and decide how long such measures will need to be retained.   

Step Four: June 21

This is the point at which the Government is hoping to lift all of the remaining restrictions on social contact and to reopen sectors of the economy which have not already returned and which could not resume last summer. 

For example, this is when night clubs could be allowed to fully reopen while restrictions on large events and performances could also be lifted. 

Mass-testing could be used to to reduce the risk of infection at those settings.   

The Government will also make a decision on whether all restrictions can be removed on weddings and other life events.