What Does The Road Map To The End Lockdown Look Like?
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Boris Johnson is preparing to announce his "roadmap" out of England's lockdown that has been in place since Jan 5. From getting children back at their desks to reopening pubs, speculation is rife as to which measures could be eased.
The Prime Minister has pledged to reveal the plan on Monday, Feb 22.
Firm details are yet to be established, but if the day follows the path of previous lockdown announcements then he may set out the plan in Parliament once the Commons session begins in the afternoon before repeating it at a press conference or in an address to the nation later.
How is the Government approaching the easing of restrictions?
Mr Johnson said his roadmap would include dates "if we possibly can", explaining they will likely be target dates "by which we hope we can do something at the earliest".
The Prime Minister's comments follow demands from backbench Tories for greater clarity, as Mr Johnson said the roadmap would be "cautious but irreversible". However, he stressed that coronavirus rates would need to be "really, really low" before restrictions could be eased.
How is the rest of the roadmap looking?
After schools, it is expected the next areas of easing will be non-essential shops and the rules on outdoor recreation and socialising.
Reports have suggested various reopening dates for hospitality, with optimistic suggestions varying from Easter weekend to May, with the caveat that the initial reopening may be for outdoors rather than indoors.
Kate Nicholls, the chief executive for UK Hospitality, has called for a "very clear phased exit strategy from the lockdown".
Speaking on Good Morning Britain on Feb 15, she said they need "not just that initial date but the phasing out of those restrictions linked to the rollout of the vaccine".
She added that there would need to be more support for businesses if restrictions continued.
What Does All This Mean?
Any broad political consensus that existed in the early days of this pandemic has long gone.
The Tory MPs that make up the Covid Recovery Group have been increasingly critical of prolonged restrictions.
This is a group containing some senior Conservatives who are willing to be vocal, and willing to exert pressure on the prime minister. Their stance will no doubt be a factor in Downing Street's thinking.
But it would be wrong to assume lockdown scepticism is representative of everyone on the Tory benches. Of more than 360 Conservative MPs, 63 signed the latest letter to Boris Johnson urging an easing of restrictions as soon as possible. That's not an inconsiderable number.
However, there are also Tory MPs that advocate a more cautious approach, as do plenty on the opposition benches.
The pressure from some in his party to move quickly out of lockdown creates tricky political tension for the prime minister - but it's not necessarily a majority view.
M.T. Omoniyi — Editor-In-Chief
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