Boris roadmap to end lockdown delayed

The Prime Minister’s roadmap to end lockdown has now been pushed back which could delay the reopening of schools.

Previously Boris Johnson said that he will set out his plan for lifting restrictions on 22 February, but now a Downing Street spokesman has said it will published some time that week.

Johnson’s official spokesman said, ‘We’ve been clear we will publish the roadmap on the week of the 22nd.

“We will set out the roadmap that week but you’ve got what we’ve said previously about trying to give schools as much notice as possible and we’ve said we’ll give at least two weeks.”

This could now delay schools reopening until Friday, 12 March.

The spokesman said that they will be informed by data on Covid deaths and hospital admissions to help with a roadmap out of lockdown.

He added, ‘We want to see infection rates continue to fall across the UK, not least so that will ease the pressure on the NHS and ultimately lead to fewer people sadly dying.

“We will look at the data in the round and we will use that to inform the roadmap.”

On 5 February Johnson confirmed on Twitter that he will be revealing his roadmap.

Johnson said, “On February 22, I’m going to be setting out a roadmap as far as we’re able to, giving everybody some more clarity, insofar as we can, about how we hope to unlock

“Beginning as you know I am sure with schools, we hope very much, from March 8. ‘But trying to set out the beginnings of a roadmap for the way forward for the whole country.”

If the British government were to follow Israel’s rules, then by the end of May lockdown could be lifted.

If Boris Johnson were to adhere to Israel’s plans, and relied only on the first vaccine dose then shops could reopen in late February following restaurants by late March.