I can tell the House that two weeks’ from today pupils and students in all schools and further education settings can safely return to face-to-face teaching, That’s why I’ve always said that schools would be the last to close and the first to reopen.Īnd based on our assessment of the current data against the four tests, Mr Speaker, all the evidence shows that classrooms are the best places for our young people to be. Step one will happen from 8 March, by which time those in the top four priority groups will be benefiting from the increased protection they receive from their first dose of their vaccine. Which would increase the risk of us having to reverse course and re-impose restrictions. The Chief Medical Officer is clear that moving any faster would mean acting before we know the impact of each step, There will be at least five weeks between each step. Third, that infection rates do not risk a surge in hospitalisations which would put unsustainable pressure on the NHS Īnd fourth, that our assessment of the risks is not fundamentally changed by new variants of Covid that cause concern.īefore taking each step we will review the data against these testsĪnd because it takes at least four weeks for the data to reflect the impact of relaxations in restrictionsĪnd we want to give the country a week’s notice before each change. ![]() Second, that evidence shows vaccines are sufficiently effective in reducing hospitalisations and deaths 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.Īt every stage, our decisions will be led by data not dates,įirst, that the vaccine deployment programme continues successfully The level of infection is broadly similar across England, so we will ease restrictions in all areas at the same time. We now aim to offer a first dose to all those in groups 5 to 9 by 15 April,Īnd I am setting another stretching target: to offer a first dose to every adult by the end of July.Īs more of us are inoculated, so the protection afforded by the vaccines will gradually replace the restrictionsĪnd today’s roadmap sets out the principles of that transition. In England, everyone in the top four priority groups was successfully offered a vaccine by the middle of February. We are setting out on what I hope and believe is a one way road to freedom.Īnd this journey is made possible by the pace of the vaccination programme. There is therefore no credible route to a Zero Covid Britain or indeed a Zero Covid WorldĪnd we cannot persist indefinitely with restrictions that debilitate our economy, our physical and mental well-being, and the life-chances of our children.Īnd that is why it is so crucial that this roadmap should be cautious but also irreversible. This would happen whenever lockdown is lifted, whether now or in six or nine months, because there will always be some vulnerable people who are not protected by the vaccine. 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. ![]() ![]() Though since we only started deploying this vaccine last month, at this stage the size of its effect is less certain.īut no vaccine can ever be 100 per cent effective,Īnd like all viruses, Covid-19 will mutate. Public Health England has found that one dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine reduces hospitalisations and deaths by at least 75 per cent.Īnd early data suggests that the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine provides a good level of protection, The data so far suggests both vaccines are effective against the dominant strains of Covid. The threat remains substantial, with the numbers in hospital only now beginning to fall below the peak of the first wave in April.īut we are able to take these steps because of the resolve of the British publicĪnd the extraordinary success of our NHS in vaccinating more than 17.5 million people across the UK. Towards reclaiming our freedoms while doing all we can to protect our people against Covid.īut we are working closely with the Devolved Administrations who are setting out similar plans. Mr Speaker, with permission, I will make a Statement on the roadmap that will guide us
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