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Two households will be allowed to meet outdoors by Easter and pubs could be allowed to serve people outdoors from April under the government’s plans for easing coronavirus restrictions in England, it has been reported.
Boris Johnson is set to announce his “cautious and prudent” roadmap to lifting lockdown rules across the country on Monday, and will meet ministers to hammer out the final details on Friday.
Families from two different households may be allowed to meet in parks or gardens by Easter as the prime minister reportedly plans to lift rules banning those who don’t live together from gathering outdoors.
However, social distancing rules that people should keep two metres apart when outside are likely to remain in place for “months”, reported the Telegraph.
A senior Whitehall source told the newspaper that people are “longing for more than anything” to see their relatives and loved ones, adding that it has been “a very long time and a difficult year”.
Meanwhile, Daily Mail reports that pubs and restaurants could be allowed to serve people outdoors from April, but not indoors until May under the plans.
Mr Johnson’s roadmap is expected to stick to the 8 March date for reopening schools, but the chief medical officer for England is reportedly resisting the plans to have all students return to the classroom on the same day.
Citing education sources, the Guardian reports that Professor Chris Whitty has been reluctant to support the policy publicly this week, and is “very unhappy” with the idea of 10 million children and staff returning to school on 8 March.
His apparent apprehension towards such plans mirrors that of school unions, who have urged the government to phase the return of pupils instead of a “big bang” approach to reopening classrooms.
A joint statement by seven unions sand two professional bodies representing school leaders, teachers, support staff, governors and sixth form colleges warned it would be “counterproductive if there is a danger of causing another surge in the virus, and the potential for a further period of lockdown”.
A government spokesperson denied claims that Prof Whitty’s support for the plans was “lukewarm”, adding: “We know schools, parents and pupils need clarity on plans as soon as possible, which is why we have committed to providing two weeks’ notice for them to prepare… Pupils will return from 8 March at the earliest.”
The latest speculation on how the UK can emerge out of lockdown comes as new data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) suggests coronavirus infections are dropping across the nation.
Around one in 115 people in private households in England had Covid-19 between 6 and 12 February, down from around one in 80 people from 31 January to 6 February, said the ONS.
Infection rates in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have also fallen, with data showing that around one in 125 people in Wales had the virus between 6 and 12 February, compared to one in 85 previously; one in 180 people in Scotland during the same period, down from one in 150; and one in 105 people in Northern Ireland, down from one in 75.
Government scientists have put the R number at 0.6 to 0.9 for the UK, compared to 0.7 to 0.9 in the previous week.
Additional reporting by agencies
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