Johnson plots a 'cautious but irreversible' path out of Covid-19 lockdown

BRITISH prime minister Boris Johnson said on Monday(15) that the path out of lockdown would be sensible to avoid being forced into a reversal of the relaxation of measures.

He added that he would plot a cautious but irreversible path out of the Covid-19 lockdown this week after the vaccination of 15 million vulnerable people.

With nearly a quarter of the UK's population now inoculated with a first dose of a Covid vaccine in a little over two months, Johnson is under pressure from some lawmakers and businesses to reopen the shuttered economy.

"We've got to be very prudent and what we want to see is progress that is cautious, but irreversible," Johnson told reporters. "If we possibly can, we'll be setting out dates."

"If because of the rate of infection, we have to push off something a little bit to the right - delay it for a little bit - we won't hesitate to do that."

Johnson, due to set the path out of lockdown on February 22, said the rates of infection were still high and too many people were still dying.

Asked if he would ensure schools reopened on March 8, Johnson said he would do everything he could to ensure that.

If many people get infected, there would be a high risk of mutation in the virus and higher risk of it spreading to older and more vulnerable groups, he said.

Chief praises NHS staff

The head of the NHS praised staff as the NHS vaccination programme enters a new phase, with people aged 65 and over are now receiving the vaccine.

Over one million people aged 65 and over have now been invited to book a vaccination, with another 1.2 million set to be invited throughout the week.

“Hitting this milestone just 10 weeks after the NHS made history by delivering the first Covid vaccination outside of a clinical trial is a remarkable shared achievement," said NHS chief executive Sir Simon Stevens.

“The NHS vaccination programme is the biggest and fastest in Europe and that is down to the skill, care, and downright hard work of our fantastic staff, supported by local communities, volunteers and the armed forces. On behalf of the whole country it's right to mark this successful first phase with a huge thank you to everyone involved in this extraordinary team effort.”

In the next phase, GPs have been asked to offer jabs to clinically vulnerable patients, and carers will also be offered the chance to get vaccinated.

Helen Walker, chief executive of Carers UK, said: “Being called for the vaccine in this next phase will bring many unpaid carers a huge sense of relief, having carefully managed the risk of the virus to themselves and their older or disabled relatives for almost a year.

“Carers should wait to be called to book an appointment, and once vaccinated some of the hardest-pressed carers will be able to access support with their caring role for the first time in many months. This will be the biggest identification programme of unpaid carers ever carried out and should see more carers connected to local support systems.”

According to a statement, five more large scale vaccination centres will be opened this week, joining over 1,500 sites already in place across the country, including mosques and museums to rugby grounds and cathedrals.

The UK has the world's fifth-worst official death toll - currently 117,166 - after the US, Brazil, Mexico and India.