United Kingdom: Government, the roadmap out of lockdown. Four stages, starting with schools and retirement homes

This morning’s headlines on the British newspapers and the opening lines on the websites are all about the roadmap, Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s plan to lift what could be the last lockdown for the United Kingdom. Some newspapers, such as the bestselling tabloids “Sun” and “Daily Mail”, choose triumphal tones as they speak of a “March to freedom”. Others, such as the “Daily Telegraph”, close to the Conservative Party, get into the details of the plan that the Prime Minister will be discussing with his cabinet today before announcing it to Parliament in the afternoon. The citizens will hear that at a press conference that will be broadcast by the BBC this evening. The website of the British public TV gets into the details of the strategy, mentioning a “new caution-led approach, with a four-part plan for lifting the lockdown”, which should roughly take place in March, April, May and June. Schools will come first, as they will be reopening on 8th March, along with visits in retirement homes, where one single visitor will be allowed to hold hands with an old relative if wearing safety devices and passing a Covid test. Before going on with new re-openings, the government will have to make sure the vaccination plan is still effective and has not been endangered by any variants. 17.5 million people have been vaccinated in the United Kingdom so far. In the last twenty-four hours, 9,834 people have been infected and 215 people have died.
Valentina Bombelli