Caution required if lifting of lockdown to be irreversible – The Yorkshire Post says

BORIS Johnson’s lockdown exit plan – and the caution being demonstrated by the Prime Minister – is the clearest indication yet that Britain is beginning, at long last, to win the battle against Covid.

Here was Mr Johnson setting out a road map which will ultimately lead to families being reunited, pubs and restaurants reopening and fans able to attend sporting and cultural events by early summer.

And the number of pre-conditions, as the country moves to each new phase of the recovery, is indicative of a PM who perhaps now rues his past haste – the change in tone and approach is both discernible and commendable.

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However there is one fundamental difference – the successful rolling out of the Covid vaccine and new expectation that all adults will receive their first jab by the end of July.

Boris Johnson has set out his plan to lift the lockdown.Boris Johnson has set out his plan to lift the lockdown.
Boris Johnson has set out his plan to lift the lockdown.

As such, it is important that the gradual lifting of restrictions operates in tandem with this programme and the suppression of new variants of the virus.

The PM made this clear as he signalled a desire for the so-called ‘road map’ to be “irreversible” – the ultimate test of this strategy.

But there’s a fear, and Mr Johnson alluded to this, that the reopening of schools and colleges from March 8 will lead to a rise in infections – what is unclear is whether sufficient safeguards are being put in place and how Ministers will help the private sector to reopen safely.

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And, given the societal strains nearly one year after the country was placed into lockdown, it’s also important that the Government maintains existing financial support – confirmation is expected in the Budget – and implores people to respect the rules.

Boris Johnson says the vaccine strategy is integral to the lifting of the lockdown.Boris Johnson says the vaccine strategy is integral to the lifting of the lockdown.
Boris Johnson says the vaccine strategy is integral to the lifting of the lockdown.

For, with Covid hospital admissions only just below the peak of last Spring, caution is the only way forward if life is to return to normal sooner rather than later. After all, the last thing anyone wants is a return to a full lockdown.

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