Johnson gives hope of summer holidays abroad in UK road map

The British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, gave details this afternoon of the UK’s roadmap out of lockdown with the emphasis on caution as to not go back into lockdown, but with four review dates, five weeks apart, with four criteria deciding definitive openings and lifting of restrictions.

The plan to ease lockdown will be "led by data not dates" and subject to four tests continuing to be met:
- The vaccine deployment programme is continuing successfully.
- Evidence continues to show that vaccines are sufficiently effective in reducing hospitalisations and deaths in those vaccinated.
- Infection rates are not at risk of causing a surge in hospitalisations which would put unsustainable pressure on the NHS.
- The government's assessment of the risks from the virus has not been "fundamentally changed" by new variants.

These will be looked at on four review dates, the first of which is in two weeks time on March 8^th, then April 12^th, May 17^th and June 21^st, and any lifting of restrictions will be dependent on meeting those criteria before the dates are guaranteed.