Boris Johnson Press Conference at 6pm to Announce Lockdown Decision

Boris Johnson is expected to delay England’s final stage of easing all lockdown restrictions at a press conference at 6pm. The announcement will likely see most coronavirus rules remain for another 4 weeks after the planned 21 June reopening. It comes amid concerns over the Delta variant first identified in India.

The prime minister will ask for ‘one last heave’ to freedom as he delays the end of all Covid restrictions by four weeks until 19 July. Senior ministers have already signed off on the decision to postpone lifting all legal limits on social contact. Mr Johnson will confirm the news at a conference at 18:00 BST.

The extension of lockdown measures will have a huge impact on sport, music and other entertainment industries, especially regarding live performances. It would mean social distancing is still necessary at indoor hospitality venues, and capacity limits for sports, pubs and cinemas will remain. In a huge blow to nightclubs, they will have to stay closed.

The prime minister will also address issues of economic support, while rules on masks and guidance on working from home will remain. In some good news though, the 30 wedding guest limit is likely to relax.

England was due for stage four of the government’s roadmap out of lockdown on 21 June, which would see the full reopening of society. This would see venues and events allowed to operate at full capacity, and no more limits on weddings.

However, many scientists called for a delay on unlocking to enable more vaccinations. This was amid growing concerns over a rise in number of cases of the Delta variant. It would also allow them time for more work on identifying links between vaccinations, infections and hospitalisations.

Hospitalisations ‘creeping up’

Meanwhile, numbers of people in hospital with coronavirus are “beginning to creep up”. Unvaccinated people and those with only one dose are most severely affected. A four week delay would give the government the chance to administer another 10 million second doses to increase protection.

Ministers “don’t want to yo-yo in and out of measures”, so are taking a cautious approach. They want to ensure that any easing of restrictions is irreversible.

There are four key tests that must be met before the next stage of easing restrictions can go ahead:

• Successful continuation of the vaccine programme
• Evidence showing vaccines are sufficiently effective in reducing hospitalisations and deaths
• Infection rates do not risk a surge in hospitalisations, putting pressure on the NHS
• Risks are not fundamentally changed by new variants of concern

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