A new four-step plan to ease England's lockdown could see all legal limits on social contact lifted by 21 June, if strict conditions are met. Shops, hairdressers, gyms and outdoor hospitality could reopen on 12 April in England under plans set out by the PM. From 17 May, two households might be allowed to mix in homes, while the rule of six could apply in places like pubs. It requires four tests on vaccines, infection rates and new coronavirus variants to be met at each stage. Prime Minister Boris Johnson told MPs the plan aimed to be "cautious but irreversible" and at every stage decisions would be led by "data not dates". There was "no credible route to a zero-Covid Britain nor indeed a zero-Covid world", he said. Kuenssberg: PM steers country towards the exit Why can't we unlock more quickly? Holiday bookings surge on lockdown exit plans Mr Johnson later told a Downing Street news conference the coming spring and summer would be "seasons of hope, looking and feeling incomparably better for us all". He described the plan as a "one-way road to freedom" but said he could not guarantee it would be irreversible "but the intention is that it should be". It comes as the first data on the UK's coronavirus vaccine rollout suggested it was having a "spectacular" impact on stopping serious illness. Step-by-step As part of the first step of the plan for easing lockdown in England: From 8 March - All schools will open with outdoor after-school sports and activities allowed. Recreation in an outdoor public spaces - such as a park - will be allowed between two people, meaning they would be allowed to sit down for a coffee, drink or picnic From 29 March - Outdoor gatherings of either six people or two households will be allowed. It is understood this will include gatherings in private gardens. Outdoor sports facilities such as tennis or basketball courts will reopen and organised adult and children's sport, such as grassroots football, will also return Secondary school pupils can access tests and will be required to wear face coverings in classrooms and shared spaces like corridors. There will be a gap of at least five weeks between each of the plan's subsequent steps to allow for the impact of changes on infection rates and hospital admissions to be assessed. The second step from 12 April would see major parts of the economy permitted to reopen: Non-essential retail opens, hairdressers and some public buildings like libraries Outdoor settings like alcohol takeaways, beer gardens, zoos and theme parks Indoor leisure like swimming pools and gyms Self-contained holiday accommodation, such as self-catering lets and camp sites But wider social contact rules will continue to apply in all settings - meaning no indoor mixing between different households will be allowed. Mr Johnson confirmed the end of hospitality curfews - and requirements to eat a substantial meal alongside alcohol. He said a review of international leisure travel restrictions would be announced by 12 April at the earliest. To read this article at full and in its original source, please click here to go to the BBC website.

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COVID-19 case numbers are rising rapidly across the whole of the UK and in other countries. We must act now to control the spread of the virus. The single most important action we can all take, in fighting coronavirus, is to stay at home, to protect the NHS and save lives. When we reduce our day-to-day contact with other people, we will reduce the spread of the infection. That is why, from Thursday 5 November until Wednesday 2 December, the Government is taking the following action: Requiring people to stay at home, except for specific purposes. Preventing gathering with people you do not live with, except for specific purposes. Closing certain businesses and venues. These new measures have been carefully judged to achieve the maximum reduction in growth in the number of cases, preventing the NHS from being overwhelmed, whilst ensuring that schools, colleges and universities stay open and that as many people as possible continue to work. Until Thursday 5 November, the relevant Local Covid Alert Level measures will continue to apply in the area where you live. From Thursday the national restrictions replace the local restrictions in your area. No new areas will move in the LCAL Very High restrictions between now and Thursday. The new measures will apply nationally for four weeks up to Wednesday 2 December. At the end of the period, we will look to return to a regional approach, based on the latest data. Complying with the new measures will help limit the spread of coronavirus, reduce the impact on the NHS and save lives. They will be underpinned by law which will make clear about what you must and must not do from 5 November. The relevant authorities, including the police, will have powers to enforce the law – including through fines and dispersing gatherings. Protect your loved ones. Download the App.