Lockdown changes set to be brought in from March 8 after vaccine rollout success

Schools and shops are set to reopen from March 8, Cabinet Minister Dominic Raab has confirmed.
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This comes as the Foreign Secretary has said the Government is “on track” to meet its target of offering a coronavirus jab to the 15 million people in its four top priority groups by Monday.

Mr Raab told Sky News’s Sophy Ridge on Sunday programme that the Government hoped to begin reopening schools in England on March 8 as planned.

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“We need to wait to evaluate the data carefully and allow those plans to be put in place,” he said.

A Covid-19 social distancing sign  during England's third national lockdown to curb the spread of coronavirus.A Covid-19 social distancing sign  during England's third national lockdown to curb the spread of coronavirus.
A Covid-19 social distancing sign during England's third national lockdown to curb the spread of coronavirus.

“Because we are making progress I think we can be confident we will be able to start that process.”

However, he said the Government would take a “careful” approach towards the easing of lockdown restrictions.

“We do need to be very careful how we proceed. We have made good progress. We don’t want to see that unravel because we go too far too quick,” he said.

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Mr Raab said the plan is to get 99% of those who are at risk of dying given their first Covid-19 vaccine dose by the end of April.

Schools are expected to reopen in March after lockdown closuresSchools are expected to reopen in March after lockdown closures
Schools are expected to reopen in March after lockdown closures

“And by doing so taking the fatality out of this virus, we are in a much better position to proceed to start to ease the lockdown.

“We’ve just talked about the way we’re going to do it, starting with schools and non-essential retail.

“I don’t think you can set though an arbitrary target and not be evidence-led, which is why the review point on the 22nd February is so important,” he told Sophy Ridge On Sunday on Sky News.

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When asked if he agrees that if all nine priority groups are vaccinated then restrictions should end, he said the Government will not make what feels to him like a “slightly arbitrary commitment without reviewing the impact that measures have had on the transmission and the hospital admissions of the virus”.

Mr Raab said it will be “evidence-led”, adding: “But we share the ambition to get out of lockdown to transition to a better place for economic reasons, for jobs, for livelihoods, for the most vulnerable in our society, and for everyone’s mental health.”