Lockdown roadmap brings back socialising, holidays, pubs and 'normal' life by July
Ministers and industry leaders are said to be discussing a new blueprint for living with coronavirus that would see a gradual reversal of the crippling lockdown restrictions imposed since January
The government's plan to gradually lift lockdown could reportedly see us "broadly" back to normal by July with pubs open in May.
A blueprint of the plans is also set to bring back hotel holidays in April as part of a limited Easter easing, it is reported.
Boris Johnson and his cabinet are this week finalising plans to gradually bring the country out of lockdown.
The relaxation of the rules, put in place to tackle the spread of
coronavirus, could be implemented at "four-weekly intervals", the Daily Mail reports.
The final stage would see life return to a form of normality, potentially still with measures such as face masks and social distancing, by July - 16 months after Boris Johnson first plunged the country into lockdown.
In the third national lockdown, which was announced a month ago, non-essential retailers as well as pubs and restaurants have all been forced to shut their doors.
The so-called government roadmap out of lockdown is expected to spell out plans being considered by the government for the relaxation of coronavirus restrictions in England.
Boris Johnson is set to present his plans next Monday, February 22.
An industyy source told T
he Mail: "The suggestion is that we would broadly go back to normal in late June or July."
So what has been proposed as a possible change to the rules in the coming months and when will it all happen?
Stage 1 - March
As has already been widely reported schools are expected to re-open from March 8.
The government has repeatedly said schools are the number one priority and that no other lockdown measures would be lifted before they are open.
It is still not known if there will be a phased return of pupils or if the government will ask all pupils to go back at once.
Earlier this month it was also reported that
Boris Johnson is said to be prioritising open-air contact when lockdown does begin to ease.
He will reportedly spell out dates for the re-opening of retail and hospitality once pupils return to the classroom.
More outdoor activity is also expected to be allowed, which would permit sports such as golf and tennis, as well as some limited social gatherings outside.
This would be within weeks of the planned return of school.
The Times reported that outdoor markets were likely to be re-opened before high street shops, as well as outdoor eateries ahead of those operating indoors.
Stage 2 - from April
March 31 is the official date the current lockdown legislation for England ends and so MPs will have to approve any extension to lockdown rules after this date.
This will likely depend on case numbers, which have begun to fall, as well as vaccinations, which recently passed 15 million people.
Whatever is decided the new roadmap claims that traders will have to wait until at least Easter, in early April, before some lockdown measures affecting them are lifted.
It is said to be likely that the re-opening of holiday lets and hotels would be permitted, as well as outdoor activities such as golf and tennis.
Previous reports had suggested that self-catering holidays within the UK could be allowed by this point but only with your own household.
But Brits have also been warned against booking “elaborate” summer holidays later in the year - even if they’re just in the UK - because it is “too early to say” what the coronavirus crisis will look like.
Jonathan Van-Tam said complex holidays that cross borders or involve several households were stepping into “the unknown.”
Stage 3 - early May
Pubs, bars and restaurants will reportedly be next in line to have their restrictions lifted in early May under the new plans.
This will allow for a maximum of two households to be sat together indoors and the rule-of-six continuing to apply outdoors.
But when pubs do re-open at last it has already been widely reported that previous restrictions, such as the 10pm curfew and "substantial meal" requirement, will be scrapped.
It's also likely that 'Covid secure' measures would remain in place when they are allowed to serve customers again.
Stage 4 - June
The Mail's blueprint suggests that the rules for pubs and restaurants will be relaxed further by the half-way point of the year.
This is said to mean that the rule-of-six would begin to apply indoors as well as outdoors.
Stage 5 - July and 'broadly normal'
This is the month that ministers are hoping will see a return to relative normality with the hope that life could be 'broadly normal.'
The hospitality and holiday industries within Britain could be allowed to return to normal in July, it has been reported, but with social distancing measures continuing to stay in place.
Despite the return to lighter restrictions it is said that office staff are expected to be told to keep working from home when the roadmap is unveiled.
Government scientists are thought to want to keep social distancing rules in place for the "foreseeable future".
It is now thought that all adults could be given both vaccine doses by August as the rollout gathers pace.