Reuters reports that british Prime Minister Boris Johnson will chart England’s path out of COVID-19 lockdown on Monday in an effort to gradually reopen its battered economy, aided by one of the fastest vaccine rollouts in the world.
“Our decisions will be made on the latest data at every step, and we will be cautious about this approach so that we do not undo the progress we have achieved so far,” he will say, according to his office.
Lawmakers will have a chance to vote on Johnson’s plan in parliament. Authorities in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, which have responsibility for their own public health decisions, are also expected to ease restrictions in the coming months.
Nadhim Zahawi, the minister in charge of the vaccine rollout, said English schools would reopen on March 8. They have been open only to vulnerable pupils and to key workers’ children since Jan. 5, with all others studying at home.