Key Points:
- The Prime Minister will address the commons at 15:30 outlining in detail his ‘Roadmap out of Lockdown.”
- Later, at 19:00, Mr Johnson will speak to the Nation directly to deliver his message of hope. Full details of what can be expected over the coming months will be available on gov.uk shortly afterwards.
Rowing Roadmap:
- 8th March – All rowing-related activities at schools and further education institutions can return .
- 29th March – Rowing and related activities that take place outdoors can begin.
- 21st June – Earliest date that all legal restrictions can be lifted.
Live Updates (archived):
16:02 – The latest government advice which will come into effect from the 8th March can be found on gov.uk.
15:54 – In summary, rowing will return for all from the 29th March. It is anticipated that British Rowing will provide detailed clarification on the logistics that the return to rowing will require in the coming days.
15:52 – “A wretched year will give way to a summer that is incomparably better than the one we see today.” – PM
13:51 – Local restrictions possible if they required to suppress new variants.
15:50 – A series of reviews will look at specific areas of the lockdown. The first review will consider end of social distancing and the requirement to wear face coverings. The second will look at global travel and will take place by the 4th April. The third will examine the possibility of covid-status certification to allow events to open. The final will look at return of major events.
15:48 – It is the ambition of the government to remove all legal limits on social contact to be removed by the end of June.
15:45 – University students whose courses require practical assessment can also return on the 8th March, with other students waiting until a later date to return to face-to-face teaching.
15:44 – The PM confirms that sport at schools can continue from the 8th March – regardless of whether they’re indoor or outdoor.
15:42 – “Classrooms are the best places for our young people to be.” All schools and further education settings can return to face-to-face teaching, supported by regular testing, on March 8th.
15:41 – Four tests will be used to assess the exact dates of lockdown easing: 1) speed vaccine deployment, 2) vaccines are effective in reducing hospitalisations, 3) infection rates don’t endanger the NHS, 4) new variants don’t change the assessment.
15:40 – National restrictions will remain the norm – there will be no ‘local adjustment.
15:40 – All adults to be offered a vaccine by the end of July.
15:48 – “We cannot escape the fact that lifting lockdown will result in more cases, more hospitalisations and more deaths.” “There is no route to a Covid-zero Britain.” – PM
15:35 – The PM’s statement is beginning. He suggests that the roadmap will be “cautious and irreversible”
15:28 – The Prime Minister is set to outline his plans for lifting lockdown in England in an address to MPs in the next few minutes. Refresh this page to get by-the-minute updates.
14:15 – Anne Longfield, Children’s Commissioner for England, has told Radio 5 Live that she wants to see school buildings remain open over the summer holidays. She stressed that such a move wouldn’t be a simple extension of school hours: “It’s actually about opening up those resources, those sports halls, those art rooms, those swimming pools so that others in the community – charities, families, youth workers, can make the most of that resource in the community. Schools are much more than education, they’re anchor points for us all, they are the place we trust, they’re the place where our children grow up,” it raises the possibility that school Boat Clubs could continue to provide training over the summer break.
14:10 – Professor Andrew Hayward, a member of the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (Nervtag), has suggested that variants of Covid-19 that “escape immunity” could force the country back into a lockdown over winter. Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s World at One programme, Prof. Hayward warned, “The new variants could change our equations on all of that, if we have new variants that do escape immunity and the vaccine is less effective, then I think we could still be looking at the need for further restrictions, for example in the winter.”
13:16 – Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has told reporters the “principles” of the Scottish approach to easing lockdown measures will be the same as England. She has so far refused to pre-empt the Prime Minister’s announcement at 15:30, and will sonly discuss what is currently circulating in the media.
13:14 – The Welsh Education Secretary Kirsty Williams had said the Welsh Government would also like to see primary school students, as well as those in in years 11 and 13, return to face-to-face teaching from the 15th March.
13:12 – Leader of the Opposition, Sir Keir Starmer, has criticised the government for not using the half-term break to vaccinate teachers. Speaking on LBC he said, “We just had half-term and I said to the government, use that to vaccinate teachers and school staff before we go back to school. They didn’t do it and it is frustrating.”
13:00 – Number 10 has said that claims that the PM’s fiancé is playing a key role in running the country is nonsense. It comes after the Tory think tank The Bow Group called for an inquiry into her influence. Press Secretary Allegra Stratton told reporters, “The Prime Minister is coming forward with a 60-page plan to get us out of lockdown and that is his focus at the moment,”
What’s Happening:
With over 17.5 million first doses of the Covid-19 vaccine now delivered, the race is on to open the country and begin the long economic recovery process.
Boris Johnson will announce today his ‘Roadmap out of Lockdown”, in which he is expected to set out in detail exactly what the coming months will look like.
After (possibly the last) virtual cabinet meeting this morning, the PM’s plan has been rubber-stamped by the government, with almost no opposition reported within Downing Street. As such, it is likely that, aside from 40 or so anti-lockdown Tory backbenchers, the Commons will rally around Mr Johnson’s plan.
When it comes to sport, the irreversible route out of lockdown will confirm the return of Schools on the 8th March, at which point all team sports will be allowed to return in schools. It is understood that there will be no requirement for sports only to take place outside.
As for the rest of the sporting sector, Nadhim Zahawi, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for COVID-19 Vaccine Deployment, revealed that sporting activities could resume outdoors from 29th March. It comes just a week after the cancellation of HRR.
The critical date to bear in mind is the 7th April – the point at which Covid-19 infection rates are predicted to fall below 1,000 a day.
Roadmap:
- March 8th – All schools in England open, both primary and secondary. This is also the date that care home residents will also be allowed a single visitor, meaning a son or daughter can finally go and see a parent in care. Two people will also be able to socialise outdoors – for example, a picnic or coffee.
- March 29th – The ‘Stay at Home’ rule is lifted. The group of six rule for meeting outside will return. All outdoor sports facilities, such as tennis courts, football pitches and basketball courts, will be allowed to open. Both adults and children will be free to play outdoor sports. The guidance to remain in your local area will also be removed.
- April – Non-essential shops re-open, with social distancing and mask-wearing still in place. This is also the date at which pubs and restaurants could open outdoors and a potential date for University return.
- May – Potentially the month in which indoor seating at pubs and restaurants returns. By this stage, everyone over the age of 50 should have been offered the vaccine.
- June – This is the most unclear stage of the roadmap, though there is potential that different households will be allowed to meet indoors. It is the ambition of the government to end all legal restrictions by the 21st June.
This page was used to provide information on the Prime Minister’s announcement, and what it means for rowing in the UK. This page is not longer actively updated.
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