"One way road to freedom" - Boris Johnson's roadmap out of COVID lockdown in summary

Like so many other towns and their residents, Heswall is feeling the pain and anxiety of lockdown and all that it denies us.

So today's announcement by the Prime Minister in the House of Commons will have been eagerly anticipated by many, particularly local hospitality businesses, retailers, service providers, and parents of school age children.

The government's roadmap out of lockdown in England revealed today was, said the Prime Minister, drawn up against a background in which the COVID threat "remains substantial", but also one marked by the co-operation and "resolve" of the public, and the vaccination of 17.5 million people by the NHS.

He said there is "no route to a zero-COVID Britain, or zero-COVID world', but the government's plan does represent a '"one way road to freedom". He described the timetable as "cautious but irreversible".

He stated that the level of infection is broadly the same across England, so there will be no more tiers of regions - restrictions will be eased at the same time across the country.

However, the plan depends on the continuing success of the vaccination programme; that data demonstrates vaccines are sufficiently effective in reducing hospitalisations and deaths; that there is no surge in infections that puts pressure on the NHS; and that the present risk assessment is not altered by any future virus 'variants of concern'.

There will be four steps taken, with five weeks between each one, the time in which the effectiveness of each one can be judged.

STEP ONE

From March 8th - All schools will open with outdoor after-school sports and activities permitted. Breakfast and after school clubs will resume. Recreation in public spaces - like parks - will be allowed between two people, meaning they would be allowed to sit down for a coffee, drink or a picnic - in addition to daily exercise.

From March 29th - Outdoor gatherings of either six people or two households will be allowed, and this will include gatherings in private gardens. Outdoor sports facilities such as tennis or basketball courts will reopen, and organised adult and children's sport, such as golf and grassroots football, will also return subject to guidance. But people must still work from home if they can, and not take non-essential journeys.

STEP TWO

From April 12th at the earliest: Non-essential retail, hairdressers, nail salons, gyms and outdoor areas in hospitality venues - like beer gardens - will reopen, together with libraries, museums, zoos and theme parks. Self-contained accommodation will reopen, but people will only be able to stay with members of their household.

STEP THREE

From May 17th at the earliest: Pubs, restaurants, cinemas, hotels, B&Bs and children's play areas will welcome people again, with some spectators allowed back into sporting events, though in limited numbers. Most rules on social contact outdoors will be lifted, while the mixing of different households will be allowed indoors. Up to 30 people will be able to attend weddings, funerals, wakes, receptions and christenings.

STEP FOUR

From June 21st at the earliest: It's suggested that all legal limits on social contact will be removed, with the remaining sectors of the economy reopened. This means that restrictions on large events and performances could be lifted, along with weddings and other similar gatherings. Nightclubs could also open their doors.