May 17th - Excitement and Trepidation all in One

The roadmap towards a full easing of Lockdown is underpinned by four key tests that are linked to data, which act like a checklist that must be met before moving on to the next step of reopening.

The tests determine whether the vaccine rollout is going as planned; vaccines are effective in bringing down deaths and hospitalisations; case numbers are not rising so fast that the NHS risks being overwhelmed; and new variants do not create unforeseen risks.

The Prime Minister confirmed on Friday that clusters of the Indian variant were evident in Bolton, Blackburn and Darwen, regions which have invited all adults aged 18 and over to receive the vaccine from May 17 in a bid to curb the spread. And although Covid cases and hospitalisations have continued to fall across the UK, the Indian variant poses a concern as it has spread three times faster than other imported strains. Public Health England figures show that the strain is now dominant in several Covid-19 hotspots in the North West of England.