Boris Johnson says there's a 'good chance' social distancing rules will be lifted next month
4 May 2021, 08:41
Will social distancing end on June 21? The Prime Minister has spoken out about the possibility of the rule being lifted in England.
Boris Johnson has said that there's a 'good chance' that plans to scrap rules on social distancing will go ahead next month.
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Under the planned 'roadmap' for lifting lockdown in England, the earliest possible date that the one metre rule will be lifted in June 21 - and the Prime Minister has offered fresh hope this will go ahead as planned.
Speaking on the campaign trail in Hartlepool, the PM said: "As things stand, and the way things are going, with the vaccine rollout going the way that it is — we have done 50million jabs as I speak to you today, quarter of the adult population, one in four have had two jabs.
"You are seeing the results of that really starting to show up in the epidemiology. I think that we will be able to go ahead, feels like May 17 is going to be good.
"But it also looks to me as though June 21, we’ll be able to say social distancing as we currently have to do it, the one metre plus, I think we have got a good chance of being able to dispense with the one metre plus from June 21."
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Mr Johnson urged caution, however, adding: "That is still dependent on the data. We can’t say it categorically yet. We have got to look at the epidemiology as we progress. We have got to look at where we get to with the disease. But that’s what it feels like to me right now."
We still don't know what the situation on face coverings will be at this date, but reports have suggested that they will continue to be mandatory in places like public transport.
A Downing Street source said, according to The Sun: "It’s our aspiration to get life back to normal as much as possible.
"An informed guess will tell you that you may have to wear them on the bus or Tube, but the data from events pilots we’ve seen over the weekend will tell us more, and we’re still waiting for that."
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