ROADMAP CHECK
Lockdown easing will be reviewed by September 23 sparking fears rules could return if hospitalisations and deaths surge
LOCKDOWN easing is set to be reviewed within the next two-and-a-half months - sparking fears strict rules could return if hospitalisations and deaths surge.
Britain's new Health Secretary Sajid Javid told MPs in the Commons today that there'll be a review of step four by September 23.
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It means the Government could well row back on the roadmap to freedom if a surge in cases causes more deaths.
Mr Javid warned the number of people testing positive every day in the UK will be 100,000 within just weeks.
But he said now is the time to take a step forward - or risk never returning to normality.
"Thanks to the shared sacrifice of British people and the protective wall of the vaccination programme, we have made huge advances," he said.
"To those who say, 'Why take this step now?', I say, 'If not now, when?'
"There will never be a perfect time to take this step because we simply cannot eradicate this virus.
"Whether we like it or not, coronavirus is never going away."
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He said vaccinations have already prevented up to 8.9million infections, 46,000 hospitalisations and 30,000 deaths, despite the super-infectious Delta mutation being responsible for 99 per cent of new cases.
And the Government will be taking a "safe and gradual approach" throughout the summer to try and keep cases low, Mr Javid added.
Boris Johnson tonight confirmed the country could proceed with unlocking fully.
But he urged Brits to exercise "extreme caution" and "personal responsibility" as measures come to an end next week.
The PM said: "I cannot say this powerfully or emphatically enough, this pandemic is not over.
"To take these steps we must be cautious and must be vaccinated."
He stressed that July 19 remained the best time to ease restrictions because of the "natural firebreak" of the school holidays.
It comes as:
- Boris Johnson warned the pandemic "isn't over" during tonight's press conference
- Ministers are bracing for an astonishing two million Covid cases in the weeks after 'freedom day'
- An expert has warned halving the gap between jabs makes them less effective as the NHS pushes to vaccinate every adult fully
- Easing lockdown on July 19 could see third wave of hospitalisations higher than second peak, Sage warns
- The third Covid peak will hit the young weeks after Freedom Day
In just a week, social distancing, working from home and compulsory face masks will be scrapped - while holidays are back on for double-jabbed Brits.
Life will return almost to normal in just a week, with school bubbles out and both festivals and clubbing back in.
But cases in the UK are continuing to rise.
While it's hoped the vaccine has slashed the link between infection, severe illness and fatalities, health chiefs will be keeping a close eye on the situation.
Top experts had warned restrictions may yet return as the weather grows colder.
And Professor Neil Ferguson - whose grim predictions on the UK's Covid death toll led to the first lockdown last March - warned "policy will have to remain flexible".
The academic, dubbed 'Professor Lockdown', fears a fourth wave of coronavirus in the autumn or winter.
He told the BBC: “This is a slight gamble, it’s a slight experiment at the moment, and I think it’s justifiable and I’m reasonably optimistic, but policy will have to remain flexible.
“If we end up in something close to the worst-case scenario we and other groups are looking at, which I think is unlikely but can’t be ruled out, then yes there will need to be some course direction later.”
Unveiling his roadmap earlier this year, the PM said it would be "irreversible".
Freedom is tantalisingly close.
Boris Johnson
But in later speeches, including his most recent, he dropped the claim - instead telling the country: "If not now, then when?"
He said officials would do "everything possible to avoid re-imposing restrictions, with all the costs that they bring".
Some of the big changes from Monday include an end to fining those who choose not to wear a mask.
Commuters will still be encouraged to wear a mask while on a bus or train - but this will not be legally enforced.
Over the weekend, Vaccines Minister Nadhim Zahawi said new guidance published today will advise Brits to keep face coverings on in crowded, indoor settings.
The one-metre-plus social distancing rule will also be scrapped.
NORMALITY - BUT FOR HOW LONG?
There will be no limits on how many people can meet socially, or where they can meet. This applies to weddings and funerals, as well as clubs, pubs, bars and private homes.
Punters will no longer need to check in to venues by scanning a QR code using the Test and Trace app - though businesses will be permitted to continue to use the app if they wish to do so.
Meanwhile, travel is on the way back - but the double-jabbed will be the biggest beneficiaries.
Fully-vaccinated tourists will be able to skip quarantine when travelling back from amber-listed countries.
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It means countries on the current amber list - like Spain, Portugal and Greece - will finally reopen to sun-seekers desperate for a beach break.
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Elsewhere, double-jabbed Brits won't have to isolate after contact with an infected person from August.
The mandatory 10-day quarantine for those in close contact with a case will be torn up - but not just yet.
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Edward Argar says the link between cases and hospitalisations has been 'massively weakened' and England is 'on target' to meet the four tests for lifting lockdown on 19 July
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