Boris Johnson holds final meeting with ministers as he prepares to unveil route out of lockdown

Boris Johnson And Chief Scientific Advisor Hold Coronavirus Press Conference
Boris Johnson will address the nation about lifting lockdown on Monday at around 7pm
Getty Images
Tammy Hughes|Leah Sinclair21 February 2021

Boris Johnson will address the nation about easing coronavirus restrictions on Monday at around 7pm, it has been revealed.

The Prime Minister will give details about the government’s long-anticipated road map out of lockdown.

Mr Johnson is due to hold a final meeting with senior ministers on Sunday, to finalise the details, before presenting them to MPs in the Commons on Monday afternoon.

This will be followed by a Downing Street briefing in the evening.

He is expected to say that schools will reopen on March 8, when people will also be able to meet one person from a different household for a coffee or a picnic outside.

Rules could be further relaxed on March 29 to allow six people or two households to meet outside, while non-essential retail will open before the end of April, according to the Sunday Times.

Pubs and restaurants should be able to operate indoor service by May, but could be allowed to serve customers outside earlier.

Music festivals and football matches should be allowed towards the end of May, with the introduction of rapid testing to screen fans for coronavirus.

It is not clear when travel will be allowed again but some sources have said domestic travel will be allowed at some point in April.

It comes as Boris Johnson has pledged that every adult should be offered the Covid-19 vaccine by July.

The accelerated rollout is a result of the Government reaching its target to vaccinate 15 million people in the top four priority groups - over 70s, health and social care workers and the clinically vulnerable - by February 15.

Adults aged 50 and over – as well as those with underlying health conditions which put them at higher risk – will be offered a vaccine by April 15 under the expedited plans.

The Prime Minister said: “Hitting 15 million vaccinations was a significant milestone – but there will be no let up, and I want to see the rollout go further and faster in the coming weeks.

“We will now aim to offer a jab to every adult by the end of July, helping us protect the most vulnerable sooner, and take further steps to ease some of the restrictions in place.

“But there should be no doubt – the route out of lockdown will be cautious and phased, as we all continue to protect ourselves and those around us.”

Mr Johnson plans to ease restrictions following the UK’s third national lockdown which was imposed after a second wave of the coronavirus swept across the nation.

This was blamed on the spread of the Kent strain of the disease, which is believed to be more transmissible.

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