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Boris Johnson said the re-opening of the UK will be phased as the country cannot risk losing the gains made against coronavirus. The Prime Minister unveiled schools will be reopened on Monday as well as outdoor retail and care showrooms. He added that up to six people can meet outside while observing social distancing rules but warned the public must avoid meeting inside homes of friends and families.

Speaking at Downing Street, Mr Johnson said: “We can move forward with adjusting the lockdown in England on Monday.

“First, as I set out on Sunday, we will now reopen schools to more children.

“Closing schools has deprived children of their education.”

Mr Johnson said from Monday groups of up to six people can meet in private gardens “provided those from different households continue to stick to social distancing rules” by staying two metres apart.

The Prime Minister said the “heroic efforts” of NHS workers and the public mean that the first test of protecting the NHS’s ability to cope has been met, with 475 admissions in COVID-19 in England on May 26.

A “sustained and consistent fall in the daily death rate” has been witnessed, meaning the second test has been met.

The Government is satisfied the third test has been met because the rate of infection is “decreasing to manageable levels across the board” with an average of 2,312 new cases being confirmed in the last seven days, he said.

Test four has been met by signing new contracts for protective equipment and boosting testing capacity to 161,214 a day, he said.

On the final test, the PM said that the adjustments have been crafted to not risk a second peak that would overwhelm the NHS.

“This package has been carefully designed so we can ease the burdens of the lockdown while expecting to keep that R below one,” he said.

Mr Johnson said the Government is “looking carefully at how we can make your life easier”, adding: “We want to say more on that soon.”

The PM said guidance on the changes will be published, adding: “Inevitably there may be some anomalies, or apparent inconsistencies, in these rules – and clearly what we’re proposing is still just a fraction of the social interaction each of us would normally enjoy.

More to follow…

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