Prime Minister Boris Johnson has just announced in the House of Commons the roadmap details for reopening, one that he hopes is one-way.
The reopening stages relies on data not dates and will be subjected to four tests:
1. The vaccination program continues successfully
2. That evidence shows that vaccines are sufficiently effective in reducing hospitlisations and deaths.
3. That infection rates don't risk a surge in hospilisations causing unsustainable pressure on the NHS
4. That the assessement of the risks are not fundamentally changed by new varients that cause concern.
Reopening steps with five weeks between each step:
STEP 1: 8 March• Schools will reopen.
• People can meet 1 person from outside their household for outdoor recreation, such as a picnic, in addition to exercise.
• Every care home resident can nominate a named visitor who will be tested and wear PPE.
Within Step 1, on 29 March (Easter Holidays):• Rule of 6 will return outdoors including private gardens, and outdoor meetings of two households can go ahead.
• Outdoor sports can resume.
STEP 2: no earlier than 12 April• Pubs and restaurants will be able to reopen outdoors and there will be no curfew or there will no requirement for alcohol to be served with a substantial meal.
• Zoos, theme parks and drive-in cinemas, as well as libraries and community centres, can reopen.
• Non-essential retail, hairdressers and nail salons to reopen.
• Indoor leisure facilities, such as gyms, will reopen
STEP 3: begin no earlier than 17 April• Most restrictions on meeting outdoors will be lifted, subject to a limit of 30.
• Indoor meetings can begin, subject to the rule of six or two households.
• Pubs and restaurants will be able to open their indoor areas.
• Hotels, hostels and B&Bs etc will be able to open.
• Theatres, cinemas, concert halls, children's play areas, stadiums will also be able to reopen, with 50% of each site's capacity.
Step 4: no earlier than 21 June• All legal limits will be lifted.
• Night clubs will be able to reopen.
• Weddings and other events will be able to take place without guest number limits.
• Larger events, such as theatre performances, will reopen without the audience number limitations, potentially using testing to reduce the risk of infection.