Matt Hancock hopes for a ‘great British summer’ post-lockdown

This year Good Friday falls on April 2, 2021, and many are hopeful lockdown restrictions may start to ease by Easter. By that point England would have been under a third national lockdown for three months, and the nation would have surpassed the one year mark since lockdown was first introduced in March 2020. However the Government has not yet confirmed when restrictions will be eased.

The current lockdown was approved by MPs in the House of Commons earlier this month.

The legislation passed by MPs states the Government can keep the current lockdown in place until March 31, but MPs could vote to extend the lockdown until a later date if the data suggests it is necessary.

A review point is scheduled to take place in mid-February, and the Prime Minister said lockdown measures in England will be reviewed every two weeks.

While experts believe the lockdown is starting to have an impact, the rate of Covid transmission in the UK remains high.

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On January 21, a further 37,892 cases of coronavirus were confirmed in the UK.

The UK also recorded 1,290 deaths within 28 days of a positive Covid test.

The Government is hopeful vaccine rollout over the coming months will help to control the spread of coronavirus.

Almost five million people have received their first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine as of January 20.

Will lockdown be over by Easter?

Currently coronavirus cases in the UK are still concerningly high in several areas, and so it is hard to determine if lockdown measures will ease by Easter.

This week the Prime Minister said it is still “too early” to say whether restrictions will end in Spring.

Boris Johnson said once the four priority groups have been vaccinated by the Government’s target of mid-February, “we’ll look then at how we’re doing.”

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Home Secretary Priti Patel echoed the Prime Minister’s stance at the Downing Street press briefing on Thursday, stating it is “far too early” to speculate when restrictions will end.

However, Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said he was hopeful schools can fully reopen in England before Easter this year.

Mr Williamson told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “I would certainly hope that that would be certainly before Easter.”

The Education Secretary also told Sky News he intends to give schools and parents a “clear two-week notice period” when schools are allowed to reopen.

If the rate of Covid transmission and hospital admissions are significantly reduced, it is likely the Government will start to consider the easing of restrictions.

If the Government decides measures can be eased, they are not likely to be eased all in one go.

Announcing the lockdown earlier this month, the Prime Minister said easing of lockdown restrictions will “not be a big bang but a gradual unwinding”.

It is likely the easing of lockdown restrictions would start with the reopening of schools and the tiered lockdown system being reintroduced.

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