Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
DATES WITH DESTINY..
PM promises ‘the end is in sight’ at last Restrictions to lift in time for summer
THE PM raised hopes of a “normal” summer with his announcement he aims to lift all Covid-19 restrictions in England by June 21.
As he revealed his roadmap out of lockdown, starting with the return of all children to school and social mixing outdoors, Boris Johnson predicted that the success of the vaccine roll-out meant: “Today the end really is in sight.”
He told MPS: “A wretched year will give way to a spring and a summer that will be incomparably better.”
He later added that the “crocus of hope is poking through the frost”.
But in a dramatic shift in tone, he stressed that his approach must be “cautious” to avoid another lockdown. And he admitted he could not guarantee the measures would be “irreversible”, although he wanted them to be.
Tory MPS have urged him to lift measures by April 26 as more than 17.7 million people have received a first Covid jab. But experts predict another 30,000 people will die from Covid between now and summer 2022 – and many more if things go wrong.
The harshest “very fast” scenario demanded by Tory MPS could lead to anywhere from 52,500 to 146,400 deaths.
Chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance said there is a risk of “flying blind” if all restrictions went at once. He said: “It’s likely you get an increase in cases when you start to open up.
“The sooner you open up everything, the higher the risk of a big resurgence. The slower you do it, the better.”
Labour urged the PM to listen to the scientists and not his own backbenchers. Keir
Starmer said: “If he does not, we will waste all the sacrifices of the last 12 months.” There will be five-week pauses between each major step to let scientists assess the impact of each.
The devolved executives in Belfast, Edinbugh and Cardiff have yet to indicate how much
of No10s proposals they will adapt, ignore or copy.
As restrictions ease in England, there will be several reviews, including on social distancing measures such as face masks, hugging loved ones and home-working.
Millions of office workers are unlikely to return to their desks until June 21.
The PM said the success of the vaccine rollout, infection rates and the impact of new Covid-19 variants would all be considered before each new step is taken.
Ministers will also review whether vaccine and testing passports could help more businesses open safely. They previously said the measure for domestic use would be “discriminatory”, although it is expected for foreign travel.
Mr Johnson faced criticism for failing to confirm that financial support for workers and business would continue beyond April. He only said: “We will not pull the rug out. The Government will continue to do whatever it takes to protect jobs and livelihoods.”
He suggested there would be more details in next week’s Budget. But TUC chief Frances O’grady said: “With jobs and livelihoods hanging in the balance there is no reason to keep workers and businesses waiting.”
Public Health England analysis revealed deaths and hospitalisations were cut by 75% from a single dose of the Pfizer jab. Officials said it is too early to share data on Astrazeneca’s but it is also “showing signs of a good effect”.
As the youngest pupils returned to school in Scotland yesterday, SAGE papers warned how vulnerable the population would be even after the vaccine rollout. Deputy chief scientist Prof Angela Mclean said they are “very worried” people would ignore the rules.
Yesterday another 178 Covid deaths were recorded, and 10,641 new cases.