‘CAUTIOUS BUT IRREVERSIBLE’

Boris Johnson Reveals Plan to Lift All Legal Limits on Social Contact by Mid-June

Progress will depend on the success of the vaccine rollout, control of infection rates, and whether more virus variants arrive in Britain.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced how he plans to end England’s coronavirus latest lockdown—this time, he says, for good. According to BBC News, Johnson will first take some small steps—on March 8, schools will reopen, and meetings of two people will be allowed again outdoors. Then, on March 29, outdoor gatherings of either six people, or two households, will be permitted under the rules. Much bigger steps will be taken in April—on April 12, non-essential shops will reopen, as well as libraries, museums, and pub beer gardens. On May 17, up to 30 people will be allowed to gather. The plan would then be to remove all legal limits on social contact on June 21, with even nightclubs reopening their doors. However, progress will be dependent on the success of the vaccine rollout, control of infection rates, and whether more virus variants arrive in Britain. Johnson described his plan as “cautious but irreversible.” Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland will soon set out their own plans.