The Prime Minister is set to delay the lifting of lockdown by another month as he addresses the nation this evening.

Boris Johnson will hold a press conference at 6pm and is expected to postpone so-called ‘Freedom Day’ from June 21 to July 19 in response to the spread of the Delta strain.

Modelling shown to ministers today suggests a four-week delay would keep thousands of hospital and get rising case numbers back under control.

It is hoped another month before the country’s full reopening would allow 4.5million first doses of the vaccine to be delivered first.

Postponing step four of Johnson’s roadmap out of lockdown would also provide a window for more over-40s to get their second shot.

The Prime Minister had previously said he wanted all legal limits on social distancing to be lifted by June 21, but that now looks very unlikely.

While concerns have been raised that it could make the Government’s messaging confusing, Johnson is now expected to adopt a ‘mix and match’ approach to easing restrictions instead of ending them all at once.

Face masks

Is is thought that mandatory face coverings in indoor public spaces will remain for the time being.

While we don’t know how long they’ll stay for, Professor Susan Michie, from the Sage committee of scientific advisers to the Government, thinks they should continue ‘forever’.

She told Channel 5: ‘We will need to keep this going in the long term and that will be good not only for Covid, but also to reduce others diseases.’

Professor Michie said it is normal for people to change their behaviour to deal with a threat and pointed out that people now routinely wear seatbelts when they never used to.

It is likely that Johnson will tell people to continue wearing face masks in shops, on public transport and at the pub from next week.

Social distancing

The ‘rule of six’ on indoor gatherings are expected to remain in place along with social distancing rules.

It was hoped that caps on crowds for theaters, cinemas and sports matches would be lifted from next Monday.

But it is now thought these limits will remain until mid-July at the earliest, according to reports.

Currently up to 22,500 fans are allowed in stadiums for the group stages of the Euro 2020 tournament.

It was hoped this could be doubled in time for the semi-finals and final at Wembley on July 6, 7, and 11 but that is now looking increasingly unlikely.

The current limt of 30 people for outdoor gatherings is also expected to remain in place.

Weddings

Previous reports suggested that the 30-person cap on weddings would be lifted on June 21 regardeless of what else was pushed back.

Around 50,000 couples booked ceremonies for the four weeks after this date, but they could now be forced to change their plans.

Restrictions may still be needed as Department of Health officials fear weddings could become ‘super spreader’ events, the Telegraph reports.

Senior Government sources say the PM could still increase the numbers on weddings but that a limit would still remain in place.

Nightclubs

Britain’s hospitality industry has taken a battering throughout the pandemic, with orders for businesses to close their doors during multiple lockdowns.

Nightclubs have been hit particularly hard, having been forced to shut for the past 15 months while building up rent arrears.

A recent trial of un-restricted large events in Liverpool, which saw 3,000 maskless revellers dancing shoulder-to-shoulder at a nightclub, showed no detectable spread of the virus.

It gave the industry some hope, but it now thought the Prime Minister could delay the reopening ofr clubs until at least July 19.

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