THE Prime Minister Boris Johnson addressed the Commons today to set out the government’s roadmap for ‘cautiously but irreversibly’ easing lockdown restrictions in England.

Schools will reopen on March 8 with hopes that hairdressers and outdoor hospitality can reopen from April 12 followed by pubs and restaurants (indoors) from May 17.

During his speech Mr Johnson 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’re able to take these steps because of the resolve of the British public, and the extraordinary success of our NHS in vaccination more than 17.5-million people across the UK.”

Mr Johnson said although the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine has shown to reduce hospitalisation and deaths by 75% and early data from the Oxford/AstraZeneca shows it provides a ‘good level of protection’ lifting lockdown ‘will result in more cases’.

He said: “No vaccine can ever be 100% effective, not everyone will take them up and like all viruses COVID-19 will mutate. 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 six or nine months because there will always be some vulnerable people who are not protected by the vaccine.

“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 well being and the life chances of our children. And that is why it is so crucial that this roadmap should be cautious but irreversible.”

The level of infection is broadly similar across Britain so Mr Johnson proposed that restrictions will be eased across all areas at the same time.

He said: “The sequence will be driven by the evidence, so outdoor activity will be prioritised as the best way to restore freedoms while minimising the risk.

“At every stage our decisions will be lead by data not dates and subjected to four tests.”

He announced that ‘step one’ will begin on March 8. People will once again be allowed to spend time in outdoor public spaces for recreation on their own, with one other person, or with their household or support bubble. People must continue to maintain social distance from those outside their household. Pupils and students in all schools and further education settings will be able to return to face-to-face education and the rules on visiting care homes will change to allow regular indoor visits for a single named visitor.

On March 29 the ‘rule of six’ will return outdoors (including in private gardens) and meetings of two households outdoors will also be permitted on the same basis, to allow families to meet.

Outdoor sports facilities, such as tennis and basketball courts and open air swimming pools, will be able to reopen, and formally organised outdoor sports will resume subject to guidance.

Step two will begin no earlier than April 12. This is when non essential retail is expected to reopen as will personal care including hairdressers and nail salons. Indoor leisure facilities and holiday lets will also reopen, but only if used by individuals or household groups.

Pubs and restaurants will also begin to reopen outdoors, with no curfew or substantial meal being imposed.

Zoos, theme parks and drive-in cinemas, public libraries and community centres will also reopen.

Provided the data satisfies the tests, step three will begin no earlier that May 17. Most restrictions on meetings outdoors will be lifted, subject to a limit of 30. Friends and family will be able to once again meet indoors, subject to the rule of six/two households. Pubs and restaurants, cinemas, children’s play areas, hotels, hostels, B&Bs, theatres and concert halls, and sports venues will reopen.

Finally, step four will begin no earlier than June 21. Mr Johnson said: “With appropriate mitigations we will aim to remove all legal limits on social contact, and on weddings and other life events. We will reopen everything up to and including nightclubs and enable large events such as theatre performances above the limits of step three potentially using testing to reduce the risk of infection.”

Mr Johnson said a return to ‘normality’ will be subject to four reviews.

He explained: “One will assess how long we need to maintain social distancing and face masks — this will also inform guidance on working from home, which will continue wherever possible until this review is complete.

“A second review will consider the resumption of international travel, which is vital for many businesses, which have been hardest hit, including retail, hospitality, tourism and aviation.

“The third will consider the potential role of COVID status certification in helping venues to open safely — but mindful of the many concerns surrounding exclusion, discrimination and privacy.

“And the fourth review will look at the return of major events.”