A senior minister has told Sky News the government ‘should be able’ to begin easing the new lockdown rules by March.
Michael Gove has explained that the public should not expect a sudden relaxation of the latest lockdown rules, but instead a ‘progressive’ easing of restrictions.
He added that the country is in a ‘race against time’ against the new variant as the vaccine is rolled out across the UK.
He also warned of ‘very, very difficult weeks ahead’ as we enter our third lockdown since the pandemic began.
Speaking to Sky News, Mr Gove said that ministers will ‘review the progress we’ve made’ on February 15th, adding: “We hope that we will be able to progressively lift restrictions after that but what I can’t do is predict – nobody can predict – with accuracy exactly what we will be able to relax and when.
“What we do know is that the more effective our vaccination programme, the more people who are protected in that way, the easier it will be to lift these restrictions.”
When asked about the timeframe for easing restrictions Gove explained that the restrictions would be under constant review but that the government ‘can’t predict with certainty’ when the restrictions will be lifted.
He said: “What we will be doing is everything that we can to make sure that as many people as possible are vaccinated, so that we can begin to progressively lift restrictions.
“I think it is right to say that as we enter March we should be able to lift some of these restrictions but not necessarily all.”
New figures put the UK on a path which was expected to exceed 100,000 deaths by the end of the month, if no urgent action was taken.
As of midnight on Monday January 4th, the nation is back in lockdown. All non-essential shops have to close, people must stay at home and outdoor exercise must be limited to once a day.
Measures are expected to be reviewed during the half term week and no relaxation of the restrictions are expected before February 22nd. This means the lockdown will last a least seven weeks.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson explained in his address to the nation that the UK is entering ‘the last phase of the struggle’, adding: “With every jab that goes into our arms, we are tilting the odds against Covid and in favour of the British people.”
