Behave responsibly as rules ease, PM warns

Boris Johnson hails ‘major step’ in roadmap back to normality, but experts fear a rebound in cases

‘Today will be a relief for business owners who have been closed for so long, and for everyone else it’s a chance to get back to doing some of the things we love’

BORIS JOHNSON has called today’s easing of lockdown rules a “major step forward” to “freedom”, but warned that people must still behave “responsibly”.

Pubs, restaurants, cafes and social clubs in England will be able to start serving outdoors again for the first time this year, with takeaway pints allowed.

Staycations return, with people able to spend nights away from their homes, providing they do not mix with other households, and retail shops can open their doors once again.

However, indoor meet-ups to socialise are still barred and social distancing rules remain in place, as the Government attempts to loosen rules while keeping Covid-19 cases down.

The Prime Minister’s comments came a week after he confirmed that stage two in his roadmap out of lockdown would go ahead today as planned.

Mr Johnson said: “Today is a major step forward in our roadmap to freedom as venues such as shops, hairdressers, nail salons, outdoor attractions, and pubs and restaurants open once again.

“I’m sure it will be a huge relief for those business owners who have been closed for so long, and for everyone else it’s a chance to get back to doing some of the things we love and have missed. “I urge everyone to continue to behave responsibly and remember ‘hands, face, space and fresh air’ to suppress Covid as we push on with our vaccination programme.”

Mr Johnson had planned to visit a pub today, but the visit was cancelled after the death of the Duke of Edinburgh. The roadmap he announced in February entailed restrictions being eased in four stages, with school returns happening in March, outdoor dining allowed today, indoor mixing due to return on May 17 and most other restrictions potentially lifting on June 21.

Since that date, the rollout of vaccines has continued at pace, with 32million people in the UK receiving a first dose and almost 7.5million getting their second dose. The success of the rollout and the fact that Covid case, hospitalisation and death numbers have fallen to a fraction of previous peaks have led to calls for a faster reopening.

But Professor Peter Horby, a senior scientist advising the Government, warned yesterday that the remaining rules must be abided by to minimise the effects of a future “rebound” in cases.

Prof Horby, the chairman of the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (Nervtag), told Times Radio: “The watchword has got to be caution, really.

“The modelling, which is now pretty good, does show that we can expect some kind of rebound – it’s not clear exactly when or how big it will be, but there is, I think, inevitably going to be a bit of a rebound in the number of cases when things are relaxed.” The University of Oxford academic said vaccines would minimise the extent of hospital admissions and deaths but warned they would not be completely effective.

Prof Horby said: “Now the extent of it really depends on how well we comply with the ongoing restrictions so we really have to take this step by step.”

“I think we can be joyful and enjoy the freedoms but we’ve still got to realise there’s still a large number of people who’ve not been infected or vaccinated and so they will be at risk.”

Scope, the disability charity, called for the Government to prevent those most at risk of catching Covid from being forced back to workplaces, after shielding advice ended earlier this month. James Taylor, Scope’s executive director, said: “Nobody should be forced to choose between their life and their livelihood.