Name: Boris Johnson plans “cautious but irreversible” easing of lockdown in England - BBC News
Uploaded: 2021-02-16T19:40:28.000Z
Duration: 10 min 59 s
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any changes to the lock down measures in England should be made in a cautious but irreversible way, according to Boris Johnson, prime minister, hoping next Monday to set out his plans for easing restrictions, including target dates, for reopening certain sectors.

But he warned there was no cast iron guarantee that the plans wouldn't have to change.

Adverbs of degree

While 15 million people have now received their first Covic vaccine, experts say that infection rates are still far too high.

We'll have more on the vaccine program in just a few minutes.

But first, the latest on the restrictions from our political correspondent, Alex Foresight, it seems a while since school playgrounds were noisy.

Next week we'll find out when on how some of this might start to return.

For so many families, it's been a long wait, missing work, missing, just hugging people, really driving Instructor Harvey's business has been parked.

His daughter, Grace, can't go to school, and they haven't seen parents and grand parents for months.

Really, it's been about a year since we've actually had them down here to stop on bond.

Nobody's getting any younger, so just think.

Let's hope but I just don't want to rush it and be back in this position again.

That's what he is trying to avoid, even with good vaccine news urging caution.

We want progress to be cautious but also irreversible.

They're waiting for more data before decisions about opening up.

Crucial is the effect of the vaccine on the virus on death rates.

I think the earliest indications would imply there's some effects, but I think it's too early to be able to put a number on that theme.

Obviously, Israel is a particularly far ahead in its vaccination program there.

When things do begin to relax, schools will be the priority.

It's hope they'll start back in three weeks.

Mawr outdoor meetings could come next, followed by some shops opening, then possibly pubs and restaurants.

Scotland and Northern Ireland, they're going at their own pace and from whales are warning that could be no absolutes.

Prime Minister, you say you want this to be the last lock down, but can you really give that guarantee given the unpredictable nature off this pandemic.

People should be very, very much encouraged by what's going on at the moment.

But we want to set out a timetable that is, uh, realistic.

And that means one that is obviously cautious all the time.

Restrictions last Labor says there must be support if we are to eat out of lock down with caution, you need to put these other measures in place to stop the spread of the virus, like paying people sick pay like ventilating buildings.

I think if you do that, then this can be the final lock down and it has to be the final lock down.

With the fast rollout of vaccines, there's pressure from some Tory MPs to ease restrictions quickly by May.

But the prime minister's been accused of getting people's hopes up over promising and under delivering at other points in this pandemic, Downing Street doesn't want to open up, just have to close down again.

They know politically on for the sake of public health and confidence, they have to get this right for holiday and hospitality businesses.

This caravan park in Cornwall has a backlog of bookings but still isn't sure when people can come.

We are now fully booked for Easter, which is fantastic.

News on that is 50 families desperate to come on, have a holiday and have a rest fight way will gnome or about the possibilities next week.

But for now, nothing is set in stone, so much still up in the air.

Well, the prime minister is expected to set out more details of his plan to ease restrictions next Monday, and it's thought that will include some dates, which will mark the starting point at which various sectors might be able to begin opening up.

But Downing Street's really keen to stress that nothing is definite on it will all depend on the progress of the virus.

They're going to keep a very close eye on the data.

But while the prime minister was keen to stress a really cautious note, he did also point to the advances in science, of course, the vaccine program, but also treatments and testing, even suggesting that there could down the line be tests to get into nightclubs, quick turnaround or for things like theaters.

But it does point to the fact that even when things start to open, we could live with the effects of this virus for some time.

Alex Many Thanks Michigan Alex Forsyth of the latest of Westminster Well, the United Kingdom has more than met the vaccines target set six weeks ago.

The prime minister said today that if supplies held up, vaccinations would be offered to everyone in the top nine priority groups by the end of April, including those aged over 65 on younger people with underlying health conditions.

But there is concern in some groups people with asthma or those with learning difficulties, for example, that they weren't included in the first phase.

Our health editor, Hugh Pym, has more details.

Visiting a vaccination center today, the prime minister was keen to praise all those involved in getting more than 15 million people in the UK inoculated with the first dose.

If you look at what's happened in the last few weeks, it's bean unbelievable effort by the NHS, Andi, the doctors, the nurses, the GP surgeries, the hospitals, of course that the army is being fantastic, the pharmacists have done a great job.

Warehouse workers and logistics experts helped get the vaccines to hospitals, doctors, surgeries and other hubs.

This company's drivers covered more than 200,000 miles in two months, delivering more than five million vaccines in England, people aged 70 and over NHS and care staff and residents on those who are clinically extremely vulnerable were in the first target groups On Friday.

The Welsh government was the first in the U.

To report that everyone in the top four priority groups had been offered the first dose off the vaccine.

Since then, ministers in England and Scotland have also confirmed that target has been hit in Northern Ireland.

Officials say everyone in those groups will have been offered it by the end of this month.

From today, the next priority groups will be offered vaccinations, starting with the 65 to 69 age range, nearly three million people.

Then comes those under 65 with underlying health conditions more than seven million.

Next will be the 60 to 64 year olds, nearly two million on then those in their fifties, more than five million, with the target of more than 17 million in the UK by the end of April.

Some with asthma like Ellie, who has to use her inhaler four times a day, didn't know whether they'd be considered part of the priority group with health conditions, she says.

The communications being poor For me personally, it's just bean the confusion over whether or not you qualify for the vaccine.

That's been a pretty stressful a couple of months.

Officials have said those with severe asthma will be offered jobs at this stage.

Others, like Elliott, deemed to be lower risk.

Come on, good boy, Amanda, who has mild learning disabilities, said there was also confusion for her and others about getting the vaccine.

I was told I could have it to begin with on.

Then I just kept ringing my GP and I still got nowhere.

On this morning I found on they said that I could go toe the local town hall and have it done every day Allow.

This means the latest phase could be more complex than before, with the added pressure of people from the first wave of vaccinations needing their second dose.

It's time to have ah look at the latest government figures on there were 9765 new infections recorded in the latest 24 hour period, on average of 12,580 new cases were recorded per day.

In the past week, 23,341 people are in hospital with co vid across the U.

In the last 24 hours, 230 deaths have been recorded.

That's people who died within 28 days off a positive covert test.

657 deaths were renounced on average every day in the past week.

On the total number of people who have died so far is 117,000 396.

That brings us to the latest numbers on vaccinations.

237,962 people had a first dose off one of the two available covert vaccines in the latest 24 hour period, which takes the number of people who have now had their first job to 15,300,000, 151 eso.

Now that I've gone through those figures, let's talk to our medical editor, Fergus Walsh, prime minister said today that number of infections were still far too high.

Having said that, there are lots of positive signs in the figures here.

Yet the daily cases air actually at their lowest level now since early October.

On the flip side, there are still nearly 3000 patients on ventilators and 1600 people a day being admitted to hospital with co vid and still more patients in hospital than the peak last April.

But this time round, of course, we have the vaccine, and we have the first very tentative signs off the impact it may be having on reducing the risk of dying.

Mortality rates among the over eighties are falling much faster than among younger age groups, and of course, they were the first group to be immunized.

We need one or two weeks more data to be sure about that now.

Israel, which is further ahead in its immunization rollout than even the UK where they're using the fighter jab, have shown that two doses seems to prevent nearly all symptomatic infection and severe illness, which is really encouraging But scientists advising the government would like to see a very cautious approach to lifting restrictions with a three week gap between each measure, like opening schools, because it will then allow them to ensure that Thean Pact of that could be gauged because what everybody wants is for this to be the last.