A one-way roadmap out of ‘lockdown’ has been outlined this afternoon, giving much-needed hope across Boardrooms and businesses across the UK.
A one-way strategy of positive milestones from the Government was announced by the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson this afternoon. The basic points are set out below. It is important to remember that these will be conditional on the continued success of the vaccine rollout and maintaining declining figures of hospitalisations and infections.
Nonetheless, some very welcome news.
Let’s hope that the 3rd March Budget will also provide some fiscal good news and continued support for businesses, employers, and staff.
Summary of main points announced: –
- Boris Johnson sets out his four-step plan to release England from lockdown
- Step one, on 8 March, will see schools reopening and two people allowed to meet outdoors for a chat
- From 29 March, outdoor gatherings of either six people or two households will be allowed
- Outdoor sports, including football, golf, and tennis, will be allowed to resume from 29 March as well
- Step two would see shops, hairdressers and gyms reopen from 12 April in England
- Also from 12 April, outdoor hospitality will resume, as well as zoos and theme parks
- Step three would start on 17 May with most social contact rules lifted, as well as limited mixing indoors
- The prime minister hopes that step four, from 21 June, would see the end of all legal limits on social contact
- The UK PM will also hold a televised press conference at 19:00 GMT
- Scotland, Wales, and NI will set out their own approaches
- Covid vaccines have a significant impact on the risk of serious illness Public Health analysis shows
- In the fourth week after the first dose, hospitalisations were reduced by 85% and 94% for the Pfizer and AstraZeneca jabs
Of course, we need to be guided by the science, and there are lots of unknowns, but this is such a positive step for everyone.
More detail will follow in the coming days, but let’s hope that this is a real one-way road and marks the safe and effective route to get business back to normal.
