The Prime Minister has announced Britain's four-step roadmap out of lockdown. The first step will see schools reopening on 8 March, and then additional changes before Easter. The second step would see shops, hairdressers, gyms and outdoor hospitality reopening from 12 April. The third step would see most social contact rules lifted, as well as limited mixing indoors, from 17 May. The Government hopes that we will then see the end of all legal limits on social contact from 21 June.
Decisions on whether we can move to these next steps on the dates above depend on four key tests. First, that the vaccine deployment programme continues successfully. Second, that evidence shows vaccines are sufficiently effective in reducing hospitalisations and deaths. Third, that infection rates do not risk a surge in hospitalisations which would put unsustainable pressure on the NHS. Fourth, that our assessment of the risks is not fundamentally changed by new variants of Covid that cause concern.
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