Two households or groups of up to six people will be allowed to meet up and mix indoors from May 17 at the earliest, Boris Johnson has announced.

Limited crowds will also be allowed at sporting events on the same day.

But families will not have to wait until May to see each other, as people will be able to go for a coffee on a park bench or enjoy a picnic with one other person or members of their household from March 8, the same day schools are set to reopen.

The Prime Minister also confirmed the ‘rule of six’ will return for outdoor gatherings of more than two households from March 29.

All remaining restrictions on social contact could be lifted from June 21, with larger events given the go ahead and nightclubs set to finally reopen.

Making a statement in the Commons, the PM said: ‘The threat remains substantial with the numbers in hospital only now beginning to fall below the peak of the first wave in April.

‘But we are able to take these steps because of the resolve of the British people and the extraordinary success of our NHS in vaccinating more than 17.5 million people across the UK.’

He added that ‘no vaccine can ever be 100% effective’, telling MPs: ‘So, as the modelling released by Sage today shows, we cannot escape the fact that lifting lockdown will result in more cases, more hospitalisations and sadly more deaths.

‘And this would happen whenever lockdown is lifted – whether now or in six or nine months – because there will always be some vulnerable people who are not protected by the vaccines.

‘There is therefore no credible route to a zero Covid Britain, or indeed, a zero Covid world and we cannot persist indefinitely with restrictions that debilitate our economy, our physical and mental wellbeing and the life chances of our children.’

The PM’s roadmap out of lockdown will also see shops, hairdressers, nail salons, libraries, outdoor attractions and outdoor hospitality venues such as beer gardens reopen from April 12.

Despite the easing of restrictions, the Government’s ‘stay at home’ messaging will remain in place.

Johnson said the further easing of restrictions will depend on England passing four tests that signify the country’s victory against Covid.

The tests include the continued success of the vaccine deployment, evidence that the jabs are sufficiently reducing hospital admissions and deaths, low infection rates, and the level of threat from new Covid variants.

As of Sunday, the more than 17.58 million people have received their first dose of a Covid vaccine inside the UK.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [email protected].

For more stories like this, check our news page.

Source: Read Full Article