Thread by @Telegraph

🔴 At 5pm Boris Johnson is taking to the lectern for his lockdown roadmap announcement.

The PM is expected to announce that people in England will be able to take a step closer to normality from next week.

​​Follow live updates in this thread 👇
telegraph.co.uk/global-health/…

🔴Watch Boris Johnson's announcement live here 👇

🔴Boris Johnson has confirmed that up to six people can meet indoors from next Monday onwards.

Groups of up to 30 people can now meet outside.

📉It comes as deaths and hospitalisations from Covid-19 are at their lowest since last July

The PM has also confirmed the following easing of restrictions from May 17th:

🔴Hotels, B&bs can reopen.
🔴Everyone can travel within Britain and stay overnight.
🔴Face coverings will no longer be required in classrooms

Boris Johnson has also confirmed that from May 17th:

🔴 All remaining students can return to in-person teaching where they are tested next week.
🔴Care home residents can now have up to five named visitors

Here is the Government's roadmap out of lockdown explained 👇

See the full timeline here: telegraph.co.uk/global-health/…

The PM has confirmed that the UK's vaccination roll out continues successfully

Evidence shows that vaccines are significantly effective in reducing hospitalisations and deaths.

Here's the data 👇

🔴The PM is asked what proportion of recent infections are variants of concern.

Professor Whitty said: "The proportions at the moment are less than 5%"

🗣️"The one that is slightly concerning us is the one from India. That does appear to be increasing."

🔴The PM is asked who he is looking forward to hugging

Boris Johnson said: "I think whoever I hug will be done with caution and restraint, I am not going to act it out now."

He said "it is about basic common sense".

🔴On social distancing, the PM said: "I look at the data very carefully it looks to me that we may be able to dispense with the one metre plus rule after June 21."

But this has not been decided yet, with more information to be released at the end of this month

🔴 Boris Johnson is asked whether the 21 June date - when all social restrictions are due to be lifted - could be moved forwards.

The PM is adamant that won't happen.

"It's very important that we should proceed cautiously, but as I've said many times, hopefully irreversibly."

💻 Boris Johnson is asked whether the guidance on working from home will change on 21st June.

The PM said: "I'm optimistic we will get much closer to normality"

"You'll hear more about what the world will look like after 21 June by the end of this month."

🔴Boris Johnson is asked whether this will be England's last lockdown.

Patrick Vallance said that things are "pointing in the right direction" and vaccines are helping put things on a "smoother path"

Follow the latest updates 👇
telegraph.co.uk/global-health/…

🔴Chris Whitty is unsure whether Indian variant will cause problems in autumn.

He said we should "be very careful about it."

🗣️"With all the variants, things can come out of a blue sky, that happened with the Kent variant, that has happened to India"

🔴Professor Whitty confirmed the 4 tests had been met which enabled the next stage of lockdown easing to proceed.

He cautioned that it remains important to move forward "carefully and steadily".

Of the vaccine rollout, he said it is clear the process has been "very successful"

📏Boris Johnson said people should continue to follow social distancing rules when not with family and friends.

"We only have to look at the very sad situation in other countries to see the lethal potential of this virus, we must continue to fight the spread of variants here"