ALL kids are expected back in class and picnics are on the cards by March 8 as Dominic Raab today said vaccine data key to unlocking Britain was looking "pretty good."
In a major boost for cooped-up Brits, Boris Johnson is poised to announce that all children will be back in the classroom and that people will be allowed to picnic in the park with a friend or their household.
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Non-essential shops will be prioritised after that and Brits should be able to enjoy drinks alfresco outside from April if cases continue to fall at the current rate.
The PM is expected to hold a press conference tomorrow to mark hitting the target of vaccinating the 15m people in the four most vulnerable groups by February 15.
It's widely expected that the target, which is key to getting kids back to school, will be hit today – 24 hours ahead of schedule.
Foreign Secretary Mr Raab said during a round of media interviews this morning the vaccine data that is key to the roadmap of lifting lockdown was looking "pretty good."
He told the BBC's Andrew Marr: "As well as opening schools on March 8, our aim is to get non-essential retail open and then after that, again driven by the evidence on how the vaccine is working we can think about things like hospitality.
"We're basing it on the evidence that we've got that the vaccine is doing it's job… So far, the prognosis is pretty good but we've got to keep monitoring it as the roll out proceeds."
Mr Raab maintained that the PM would officially set out the roadmap for easing lockdown on February 22.
He went on: "We share all of the ambition and the desire to get out of this lockdown and we want to do it responsibly and safely therefore, it's got to be based on the evidence which is of course what we said from the outset.
"But we've got much more granular evidence and we're accumulating it. The Prime Minister will set out the path forward on the 22nd."
BACK TO SCHOOL
Boris Johnson is preparing to announce that all schools will reopen on March 8 in the first stage of lockdown easing.
The Prime Minister will confirm that all schools will re-open on March 8 – the day a coffee in the park with a friend will also become legal again.
The PM is expected to announce today that 15million people have been vaccinated — 24 hours ahead of schedule.
The target of vaccinating the four most vulnerable groups is seen as key to allowing kids to get back to school and the easing of lockdown restrictions.
Mr Johnson is now preparing to give Brits some of their freedoms back when he unveils his “roadmap” on February 22.
Getting kids back to school is still his top priority but he will also lift curbs on people meeting for a coffee in the park.
Outdoor socialising will be among a host of banned activities that will be allowed from next month.
Restrictions for adults will be slightly relaxed with Brits being allowed to sit down outdoors with one friend or family member or their own household or bubble.
Current rules mean people may only meet outdoors for exercise – while standing up.
Reviving the High Street will come soon afterwards, with a risk assessment of non-essential shops reopening underway, followed by pubs and restaurants.
SAGE MUTINY
The PM last week told ministers there will be no backsliding on his goal of getting kids back to class from March 8 – despite a mutiny by Sage scientists.
Sir Jeremy Farrar said Covid infections must be cut from the current 750,000 to just 9,000 “before we can think about lifting restrictions”.
Pubs and restaurants will be able to serve outdoors in April if Covid cases continue to fall.
The reopening of hospitality is being fast-tracked in a major boost to the blighted sector — and thirsty Brits.
A government source said: “We will hopefully be sipping pints in the spring sunshine sooner rather than later.”
The good news came as the UK’s Covid R rate fell below one nationwide for the first time since last July.
And there was more good news, with the UK expecting to smash its target of offering a jab to all 15 million of the most vulnerable Brits before Monday.
Rebel Tory MPs have warned Boris that there is “no justification” for Covid restrictions to still be in place at the start of May.
Sixty-three Conservatives have told the PM the vaccine must give the UK “permanent immunity” from virus-related lockdowns.
The Covid Recovery Group, which is behind a letter to the PM, demands a “relaxation of unnecessary restrictions”.
The rebels demand all pupils return to school by March 8, pubs re-open in time for Easter and legislative restrictions must be removed after all nine priority groups have received their first jab.
The letter adds that the “goalposts must not shift”.
Boris said yesterday that he is "optimistic" about lifting lockdown restrictions before he sets out his "roadmap" on February 22.
The PM said he will prioritise reopening shops and then hospitality, including pubs, after getting kids back to school.
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