No ‘wiggle room’ in road map, says Boris
BORIS JOHNSON has said he will stick to his timetable for lifting coronavirus restrictions, pledging to remain “cautious” in easing the lockdown.
The Prime Minister this week set out a plan for incrementally reducing measures over the coming months in England, with the aim of scrapping all restrictions by June.
On a visit to Accrington Academy in Lancashire, Mr Johnson said the dates he set out continued to be the target “towards which people can work” given that the number of people in hospital with Covid-19 remained “high”.
According to Government data, there are 16,800 people in UK hospitals being treated for coronavirus symptoms.
Mr Johnson made the comments when asked whether there was “wiggle room” to lift lockdown quicker if emerging data suggested hospital admissions were falling faster than predicted as vaccines were rolled out.
He said: “I think it’s very important to have a timetable that is sensible, but one that is also irreversible.
“Everybody knows the dates: March 8, kids back in school; April 12, shops reopen; May 17, hospitality reopens; June 21, we hope, if all things go according to plan, a general reopening.”