PM's announcement - What's next for England?

This afternoon, Boris Johnson made an announcement regarding vaccine targets, travel issues, lockdown easing, and schools reopening. But it was a lot of information to digest. Here are the main points that the Prime Minister mentioned.

Vaccines

Boris stated that by the middle of February he wants to offer the first dose of the vaccine to the top 4 vulnerable groups. If his target is reached, this will strongly benefit how England moves forward from the national lockdown. Schools could be reopening by the week commencing March 8th, if everything goes accordingly. This will be discussed in parliament on the week commencing February 22nd.

If these targets are reached by the middle of February, it will allow us to know how effective the vaccine is and how it prevents the death of those with Coronavirus. If these targets aren’t hit, then there will still not be “sufficient data” to supply evidence of how protective the vaccines are. Thus, if this evidence is lacking, schools can’t reopen and lockdown will be prolonged.

Travel

People adhering to travel guidelines has been difficult during this lockdown. Many people have been leaving England for holidays, spreading the virus and potentially bringing new variants back to the country. Due to this, the PM has issued new guidelines which include a temporary closure of travel corridors.

If people have travelled outside of England, and are returning home, they are to do a test 72hours prior to their flight, and they then must isolate or 10 days at home, if their test is negative. If people are seen in airports, they will be asked for a “valid reason” for their travelling and will be urged to return home to maintain safety amongst others.

Boris Johnson has also banned travel to 22 countries, such as South Africa, to try and keep the spread of Covid at a low.

Schools

There are no plans to reopen schools, currently, and the Prime Minister has stated that it will not be happening after the February half term either. He said that schools will only be reopening if the vaccine target is hit, and if it is, schools will then phase a reopening from the 8th of March 2021.

Lockdown restrictions

The PM announced that he cannot relax the national lockdown yet as it would put the NHS under immense pressure. As well as this, there is little data to allow society to go back to normal. However, amongst all the pessimistic news, this third national lockdown has seen a slight decrease to the r rate, which is a good sign. If this carries on, a “phased lockdown” will be discussed in the future.

Overall, despite being in a “perilous situation,” we are now aware of new guidelines which will benefit society. Staying home is essential to ensure that the virus isn’t spread. If Mr Johnson reaches his vaccine target, England will be in a much better state, and the government can focus on their “national priority” by reopening schools and helping life go back to normal one small step at a time.