British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday confirmed that the complete stay-at-home lockdown in England will end on December 2, from when a tough new COVID Winter Plan will kick in to last until at least March 2021.
Addressing the House of Commons via videolink from Downing Street in London, Johnson began by praising "the scientific cavalry" which has offered vaccine hopes to eventually make lockdown "redundant". But he stressed that it is important not to "squander all our gains" from the past few weeks of lockdown with a "free for all".
"From next Wednesday people will be able to leave their homes for any purpose and meet other people in public places, subject to the rule of six," said Johnson.
"I am sorry to say we expect that more regions will fall at least temporarily into higher levels than before," he said, in reference to a tougher tiered system.
From the middle of next week, shops, personal care, gyms and churches can reopen as part of a bolstered three-tiered system. As part of the restrictions, people will be expected to continue to work from home if they live in a Tier 1 region; in Tier 2, alcohol can only be served with a meal; and in Tier 3, all forms of hospitality except takeaways will have to close.
While lockdown measures in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland continue to be decided by the devolved administrations, Johnson said that he would set out plans for "a time limited Christmas dispensation embracing the whole of the UK" in the coming days.
He, however, earned that the deadly virus would not "grant a Christmas truce".
"Christmas cannot be normal and there is a long road to spring but we have turned a corner and the escape route is in sight," he said.
