Pupils falling behind due to Covid will have to attend 'catch-up classes' during the summer holidays - as Keir Starmer backs Boris's plan for a March 8 schools reopening and rejects union's bid for a phased return

  • Schools will receive hundreds of millions to draft in private tutors and pay teachers to extend the working day 
  • Additional 'Covid premium' awarded to schools for every disadvantaged pupil they have at their institution
  • Details of 'catch-up' to be announced by Prime Minister tomorrow when he reveals roadmap out of lockdown
  • News comes as Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer today backed PM's bid to get children back to school March 8Schools are to be handed hundreds of millions in funding to provide 'catch-up' classes throughout the summer in an effort to stop children falling through the gaps following almost a year of missed education.

    Boris Johnson is due to announce the three-point plan that will see schools draft in private tutors and pay teachers to extend their working day in order to make up some of the hours lost in the classroom, The Sunday Times reports. 

    An additional 'Covid premium' will be awarded to schools for every disadvantaged pupil they have at their institution. 

    The plan for summer school, which was drawn up by the newly appointed education recovery commissioner Sir Kevan Collins, will see pupils enjoy sports and physical education in the morning before sitting down at the desk - due to fears that a lack of activity could affect students' mental health and academic success, the publication reports.

    Prime Minister Boris Johnson attends a virtual special edition of the Munich Security Conference via video link in London, on February, 19, 2021

    Prime Minister Boris Johnson attends a virtual special edition of the Munich Security Conference via video link in London, on February, 19, 2021A source told The Sunday Times: 'This is not just education support but also social support. We are acutely aware that pupils' mental health has been impacted by not seeing friends or playing sport.'

    More details of the catch-up scheme are set to be announced by the Prime Minister tomorrow.

    He is also expected to confirm that teachers will be given the final decision over what grades to award pupils for cancelled GCSEs and A-level exams in 2021 - instead of the troublesome Centre Assessment Grades algorithm which saw average grades drag some candidates down last year.

    Most catch-up funding so far has gone to pay for one-to-one or small group tutoring. 

    Any move to require teachers to work during the summer is likely to meet resistance from unions. 

    The children's commissioner Anne Longfield, who gave her last speech yesterday before stepping down from the role, said it was 'impossible to overstate how damaging the last year has been for many children'.

    The plan for summer school was drawn up by Sir Kevan Collins (pictured) who was appointed as education recovery commissioner by Boris Johnson to 'ensure every young person is supported to catch up on their education'

    The plan for summer school was drawn up by Sir Kevan Collins (pictured) who was appointed as education recovery commissioner by Boris Johnson to 'ensure every young person is supported to catch up on their education'

    Pupils at Manor Park School and Nursery in Knutsford, Cheshire, as schools across England returned after the Christmas break, January 4, 2021

    Pupils at Manor Park School and Nursery in Knutsford, Cheshire, as schools across England returned after the Christmas break, January 4, 2021

    She added that the educational failure of underprivalidged children was a 'national scandal' that had started long before the pandemic - stating that one in five children do not achieve five GCSEs by the time they are 19. 

    Ms Longfield said: 'Two weeks ago the Prime Minister said educational catch-up was the key focus of the entire Government – yet we still don't know if next month he is planning to take the Universal Credit uplift away from millions of families.

    'The two positions aren't compatible. If the Government is really focused on educational catch-up, it wouldn't even countenance pushing 800,000 children into the type of devastating poverty which can have a much bigger impact on their life chances than the school they go to or the catch-up tuition they get.

    'This is the basic flaw in how Government functions: different parts of the system know different areas of these children's lives, but nobody connects the dots.

    Sir Keir today said he wanted all pupils in England back in school on March 8. He told Sky News' Sophy Ridge on Sunday that more coronavirus testing and 'Nightingale classrooms' could address some of the issues

    Sir Keir today said he wanted all pupils in England back in school on March 8. He told Sky News' Sophy Ridge on Sunday that more coronavirus testing and 'Nightingale classrooms' could address some of the issues

    'The Prime Minister's promise to 'level up' is just a slogan unless it focuses on children.' 

    A Department for Education spokesperson said: 'We know schools, parents and pupils need clarity on plans as soon as possible, which is why we have committed to providing two weeks' notice for them to prepare.

    'Schools are the best place for young people's education, development and wellbeing, and we are committed to fully reopening them as soon as the public health picture allows.

    'The Prime Minister is due to set out plans for schools reopening on 22 February, and pupils will return from 8 March at the earliest.'

    Speaking of Sir Kevan's appointment Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: 'I am absolutely determined that no child will be left behind as a result of the pandemic.

    'Our top priority is to get schools open again and once they are, we will make sure that teachers and students are equipped with the resources and the time they need to make up for lost learning.

    All pupils will return to school on March 8 and care home residents in England will each be allowed one regular visitor

    All pupils will return to school on March 8 and care home residents in England will each be allowed one regular visitor

    'I am delighted that Sir Kevan has been appointed to lead this vital work – his experience and expertise will help ensure every young person is supported to catch up on their education and gain the skills and knowledge they need to be able to seize opportunities in future.'

    The news comes as Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer today backed Boris Johnson's bid to get all children back to school in two-weeks' time.

    The Prime Minister wants to reopen all classrooms on March 8 and is expected to announce the proposal when he reveals his roadmap out of lockdown tomorrow.

    But teaching unions are fighting for a phased return to class on safety grounds and have called for teachers and school staff to jump the vaccine queue.

    However Sir Keir today said he wanted all pupils in England back in school on March 8 - risking a furious row with unions.

    He told Sky News' Sophy Ridge on Sunday that more coronavirus testing and 'Nightingale classrooms' could address some of the issues.

    Sir Keir said: 'Ideally, I would like to see all schools back open on March 8 and all children back into schools on March 8.

    Health Secretary Matt Hancock again rejected calls for teachers to be given priority in the vaccine queue before schools return

    Health Secretary Matt Hancock again rejected calls for teachers to be given priority in the vaccine queue before schools return

    'I have been worried through the pandemic - a number of people have - about the impact that being out of school has on, particularly, vulnerable children and the attainment gap is getting bigger.'

    He said the Government would have to follow the data and the scientific advice on the issue, 'but that's what we should be working towards'.

    'If that means more testing, if that means Nightingale classrooms, if it means other measures, let's do that because I want to get our kids back into school.'

    However, his call faced some muted pushback from the Labour left.

    John McDonnell, the shadow chancellor under former leader Jeremy Corbyn, told Sophy Ridge that there was little difference between the new leader and the unions.

    But he added: 'I can’t think of anyone better to listen to than those on the frontline and that is the teachers’ unions. 

    'It’s interesting, I don't think it has happened very often but all the teachers’ unions including those which represent the head teachers and school leaders as well as the frontline teaching staff themselves, are all saying the same thing. 

    'So, I think listen to the unions and I don't think that’s different from what Keir is saying. Keir is saying is when it’s safe and if we had to have a staggered reopening of the schools, let’s listen to those on the frontline.'

    In other developments yesterday:

    • A further 445 deaths were reported, down 28 per cent on last Saturday, while hospital admissions fell 22 per cent week-on-week and 10,406 positive tests were recorded, down 19 per cent on last Saturday;
    • A former Government education adviser accused teaching union bosses of bringing the profession 'into disrepute' by continuing to oppose the re-opening of all schools next month – as claims that Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty objected to a 'big bang' return to classrooms were dismissed as 'total fantasy' by No 10;
    • It emerged that Chancellor Rishi Sunak has drawn up plans to extend business support until the autumn, but will also announce future tax rises in next month's Budget;
    • Pubs and restaurants said they were ready for an 'Alfresco April' as the boss of the Leon fast-food chain said extending lockdowns by even a few weeks may cost lives due to the economic impact;
    • Demand for holiday cottages and campsites in the UK has pushed some prices up by 50 per cent amid fears foreign breaks will be impossible;
    • An investigation by The Mail on Sunday exposed crooked businessmen offering to sell dormant companies in the full knowledge that they will be used to make fraudulent claims for Government coronavirus loans;
    • Preparations for the roadmap were hit by a fresh spate of infighting at No 10, with a Tory think-tank calling for an inquiry into the influence of Mr Johnson's fiancee Carrie Symonds.
    • The new head of the World Trade Organisation called on the UK and other wealthy nations to send Covid-19 vaccines to poorer countries now rather than wait for a surplus.

    When are schools expected to open across Britain? 

    England

    Boris Johnson has repeatedly said the Government will target March 8 to reopen schools across England. 

    But it is still unclear exactly how the reopening will work, with the PM due to unveil his lockdown exit roadmap on Monday. 

    The PM is said to want to see all pupils return on the same day but some union bosses are adamant there should be a phased return to classrooms, with the Health Secretary also said to be advocating a cautious approach. 

    Scotland

    The First Minister Nicola Sturgeon confirmed on February 16 that schools in Scotland will begin a phased reopening from Monday.

    Pupils between the ages of four and eight will be the first to return to classes on that date.

    No other pupils will return until at least 1

    Wales

    Children aged between three and seven will resume face-to-face classes in Wales from Monday.

    There will also be returns for some vocational learners, including apprentices, to colleges in order to access training or workplace environments for their practical qualifications.

    Mark Drakeford today confirmed that all primary school pupils as well as those in Years 11 and 13 could return from March 15.

    Northern Ireland 

    First Minister Arlene Foster said last month that schools in Northern Ireland will not reopen until at least March 8.

    Mr Johnson is tomorrow expected to announce all pupils will return to school on March 8 and care home residents in England will each be allowed one regular visitor.

    By Easter, at the start of April, two households will be allowed to meet up outside. That will be followed shortly afterwards by the reopening of non-essential shops and pubs and restaurants for outdoor service only. 

    The hospitality industry is expected to reopen fully in May.  

    It came as Health Secretary Matt Hancock again rejected calls for teachers to be given priority in the vaccine queue before schools return.

    He told Sophy Ridge on Sunday: 'We've asked the expert group, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, what order we should vaccinate in, broadly in order to reduce the number of deaths as fast as possible.

    'I think everybody can understand why we asked that as the question.

    'They set out the priority groups one to nine, which includes those who are clinically most vulnerable and their carers, and includes the over-50s, going down the age range.

    'They are currently considering, after that, what might be the best order in terms of clinical priority.

    'There isn't strong evidence that teachers are more likely to catch Covid than any other group, but I'll leave it for the JCVI to set out what they think is the best order in which to do this that minimises the number of deaths.'

    On Friday nine trade unions ganged up on the PM to demand a 'phased return' only for millions of children who have been out of the classroom since the start of January.  

    In a letter orchestrated by the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), education union leaders said they were 'increasingly concerned' that the Government could go ahead with a full return of all pupils in England on March 8.

    Risk of getting infected with Covid-19 while socialising outdoors is 'much, much lower' than doing the same indoors, leading scientists say 

    The risk of becoming infected with Covid while socialising outdoors is 'much, much lower' than doing the same indoors, say leading scientists.

    Even the slightest breeze will radically cut the chance of receiving an infectious dose from a nearby diner, as the air movement will prevent build-up of Sars-Cov-2 particles.

    What's more, the paucity of infections believed to have taken place outside adds to the fact the infection risk in open air is likely to be very low indeed, they say.

    But transmission could still occur if people are sitting at the same outside table, they caution.

    Explaining why infection risks are far lower outdoors than in, ventilation expert Dr Shaun Fitzgerald, director of the Centre for Climate Repair at Cambridge University, said: 'The biggest factor is the much, much lower level of concentration of virus particles that you would be subjected to in an outdoor setting.

    'Fresh air effectively carries the virus away.'

    This dilution makes 'a huge difference as evidence shows people are able to fend off infection if they are exposed to a low dose'.

    But Dr Fitzgerald stressed the importance of keeping a distance in face-to-face outdoor settings to avoid larger droplets.

    The joint statement said: 'This would seem a reckless course of action. It could trigger another spike in Covid infections, prolong the disruption of education and risk throwing away the hard-won progress made in suppressing the virus over the course of the latest lockdown.

    The science around the role that schools play in the overall rate of transmission is uncertain. '

    It adds: 'What we do know is that the full reopening of schools will bring nearly 10 million pupils and staff into circulation in England - close to one fifth of the population. This is not a small easing of lockdown restrictions. It is a massive step.

    'These factors necessitate a cautious approach with wider school and college opening phased over a period of time.'

    As well as the ASCL, the statement was signed by the GMB, National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT), NASUWT, National Education Union (NEU), National Governance Association (NGA), Sixth Form Colleges' Association (SFCA), Unison, and Unite. 

    Sage member Professor John Edmunds said the UK is in a 'really strong position' due to the vaccine rollout but warned that until everyone - including children - has been jabbed there will be 'significant risk of a resurgence' of the virus.

    He told the BBC's Andrew Marr Show: 'I think there's an argument for turning to children (in the vaccine rollout) as fast as we can.

    'I mean, I have two children myself, they are in secondary schools and I think that there has been major disruption at schools and there will continue to be major disruption in schools until we have vaccinated our children.'

    He said opening schools now would likely see the R number come close to 1, but that mixing outside is unlikely to have much effect.

    Asked if he would be more comfortable opening primary schools and then secondary schools later, he said: 'Obviously I'm just sticking to the epidemiology rather than other needs. Of course there's great needs to get our kids back in schools as fast as we can. But sticking to the epidemiology, yeah, of course, it's always safer to take smaller steps and evaluate.'

    Mr Hancock today warned that the Government would take its time lifting the coronavirus lockdown, despite speeding up plans to rollout vaccines to all UK adults by the end of July.

    The Health Secretary said it was 'right to be cautious' ahead of Boris Johnson's big reveal of his roadmap out of restrictions tomorrow.

    Mr Hancock confirmed this morning that every adult in the country will be offered at least one dose of a Covid vaccine by the end of July.

    The Government previously said it hoped to reach all those aged 18 and over by the autumn, but Mr Johnson aims to greatly accelerate the successful campaign.

    Mr Hancock also confirmed that everyone over 50 will be offered at least a first dose by April 15, rather than by May, as previously suggested. 

    But asked about the speed of the lockdown lifting, he told Sky's Ridge on Sunday: 'It is right to be cautious, it is incredibly important. There are still almost 20,000 people in the hospital with Covid right now. Almost 20,000.

    'The vaccination programme whilst clearly going very well, will take time to be able to reach all people who have significant vulnerability, especially because we also need to get the second jab to everybody.

    'So we have got time that needs to be taken to get this right, the PM will set out the roadmap tomorrow and he will set out the full details, taking into account that we need to take a cautious but irreversible approach, that's the goal.' 

    However, former Tory chief whip Mark Harper, who leads the Covid Recovery Group, this morning repeated his call for all restrictions be lifted by the end of April, once the most vulnerable groups had been vaccinated under the new timetable.

     

    Matt Hancock says 'time needs to be taken' lifting the lockdown despite pledging a Covid vaccine for every adult in the UK by July 31st and all over-50s by April, as ministers meet TODAY to finalise roadmap to let families meet by Easter

    • The ambitious new inoculation target will form part of PM's awaited roadmap towards easing lockdown rules
    • Government previously said it had hoped to vaccinate all those aged 18-and-over by the autumn
    • But Prime Minister Boris Johnson aims to greatly accelerate Britain's successful vaccination campaign 
    • He is also expected to say that everyone over 50 will be offered at least a first dose by April 15

    By David Wilcock for MailOnline and Glen Owen for Mail On Sunday

    Matt Hancock today warned that the Government would take its time lifting the coronavirus lockdown, despite speeding up plans to rollout vaccines to all UK adults by the end of July.

    The Health Secretary said it was 'right to be cautious' ahead of Boris Johnson's big reveal of his roadmap out of restrictions tomorrow.

    Mr Hancock confirmed this morning that every adult in the country will be offered at least one dose of a Covid vaccine by the end of July.

    The Government previously said it hoped to reach all those aged 18 and over by the autumn, but Mr Johnson aims to greatly accelerate the successful campaign.

    Mr Hancock also confirmed that everyone over 50 will be offered at least a first dose by April 15, rather than by May, as previously suggested. 

    The Health Secretary said it was 'right to be cautious' ahead of Boris Johnson's big reveal of his roadmap out of restrictions tomorrow

    The Health Secretary said it was 'right to be cautious' ahead of Boris Johnson's big reveal of his roadmap out of restrictions tomorrowAnd he also confirmed that one-in-three adults in England has now been vaccinated.

    But asked about the speed of the lockdown lifting, he told Sky's Ridge on Sunday: 'It is right to be cautious, it is incredibly important. There are still almost 20,000 people in the hospital with Covid right now. Almost 20,000.

    'The vaccination programme whilst clearly going very well, will take time to be able to reach all people who have significant vulnerability, especially because we also need to get the second jab to everybody.

    'So we have got time that needs to be taken to get this right, the PM will set out the roadmap tomorrow and he will set out the full details, taking into account that we need to take a cautious but irreversible approach, that's the goal.'

    The Prime Minister will temper news of the turbo-charged vaccination programme with a 'cautious and phased' route out of lockdown.

    All pupils will return to school on March 8 - a planned backed by Labour leader Keir Starmer this morning - and care home residents in England will each be allowed one regular visitor.

    By Easter, at the start of April, two households will be allowed to meet up outside. That will be followed shortly afterwards by the reopening of non-essential shops and pubs and restaurants for outdoor service only. 

    The hospitality industry is expected to reopen fully in May. 

    However, former Tory chief whip Mark Harper, who leads the Covid Recovery Group, this morning repeated his call for all restrictions be lifted by the end of April, once the most vulnerable groups had been vaccinated under the new timetable.  

    Mr Harper said restrictions should not remain in place simply to prevent the emergence of new variants, warning such a policy would result in curbs being in place indefinitely.

    Some scientists have warned that if transmission rates are allowed to remain high then it increases the likelihood of variants emerging, and therefore some restrictions are necessary to drive down the number of infections.

    Mr Harper said: 'The way you protect against variants is our fantastic genomic sequencing programme and the fact that all of our vaccine developers will respond to changes in the virus by altering the vaccine - that's the way you protect against variants.

    'If we are going to say we are so worried about a future variant that might not be susceptible to the vaccine, that's a recipe for never unlocking our economy and our society, and I don't think that's really an acceptable proposition.' 

    Former Tory chief whip Mark Harper, who leads the Covid Recovery Group, this morning repeated his call for all restrictions be lifted by the end of April, once the most vulnerable groups had been vaccinated under the new timetable

    Former Tory chief whip Mark Harper, who leads the Covid Recovery Group, this morning repeated his call for all restrictions be lifted by the end of April, once the most vulnerable groups had been vaccinated under the new timetable

    Prime Minister Boris Johnson aims to greatly accelerate the successful vaccination campaign

    Prime Minister Boris Johnson aims to greatly accelerate the successful vaccination campaign

    William Hague calls for lockdown to end in April 

    Former Tory leader William Hague has urged Mr Johnson not to keep coronavirus lockdown restrictions in place beyond April when all those over 50 have had the opportunity to be vaccinated.

    He said there 'wouldn't be much justification for keeping most of the restrictions on people' by then provided the number of cases is down to a 'very low level'.

    But he warned that there would need to be a 'deal' between the public and the Government to do mass testing at that point, and said people would need to be ready for 'rapid, ruthless' local lockdowns.

    Lord Hague said he was hoping to hear in the road map, which Mr Johnson will announce on Monday, that the 'great majority of restrictions on people can be lifted'.

    He told Sky's Ridge on Sunday:  'Now, he is presumably going to say that will depend on the progress that's being made and that's fair enough.

    'But I think if we are going to reach the point, perhaps in April, where everybody over the age of 50 has had the opportunity to be vaccinated and the number of cases of Covid is down to a very low level - the sort of level we last saw in the middle of the summer last year - if both of those things have happened by some time in April, then there wouldn't be much justification for keeping most of the restrictions on people, I think with one big caveat.

    'There has to be a deal, as it were, between the Government and the people of this country that we have to do the mass testing when we reach that point.

    'We have to be ready for really rapid, ruthless, local lockdowns: we have to all join in making a test and trace system work, which it can do once the infections are at a lower level, so everybody has to be psychologically ready for that and if they are, then I think at that point the government can really release most of the restrictions.'

    Lord Hague also urged Chancellor Rishi Sunak not to 'disincentivise people to invest in the businesses of the future' ahead of next month's Budget.

    He said: 'People talk about reforming Capital Gains Tax - well there may well be some very important and worthwhile reforms that can be made of it, but it's really important not to tax people away from entrepreneurship, from risk taking, from investing in things that might fail in the future, as well as all the things that are going to succeed.'

    The Health Secretary declined to comment on the details of the roadmap, which has yet to be signed off by Cabinet ministers.

    He said Boris Johnson would address the reopening of schools on Monday and told Sky: 'We have set out very clearly that getting schools back is the top priority amongst all the different things that we want to do to get life back to normal.'

    Mr Hancock went on: 'Whilst we want to set out a road map which gives people guidance in terms of how we think we will be able to do this, we also absolutely will be vigilant to the data on the way.

    'We have seen throughout this pandemic that there have been moments when things haven't got as we expected - for instance, when the new variant was first discovered in Kent.'

    He said there was evidence that cases of new variants in the UK, such as those discovered in Brazil and South Africa, were falling - as he suggested new border restrictions and enhanced contact tracing are working.  

    He told BBC One's The Andrew Marr Show: 'As of this morning, one in three adults of all adults in the whole country have been vaccinated - it's great news.

    'We are confident that the vaccine works effectively against both the old strain that has been here for some time and the so-called Kent variant, which is now the main source of infection in this country.

    'We do not yet have the confidence that the vaccine is as effective against the South Africa variant and the variant first seen in Brazil, but we do think that the measures that we have taken - both the enhanced contact tracing and the measures at the border - are reducing those new variants here.'

    Mr Hancock said the latest data showed 'around a dozen' new cases of the South African variant had been found in the country. In total, there have been around 300 cases, he said.

    Mr Johnson will today meet senior ministers to sign off the final details with the wider Cabinet rubber-stamping the plan tomorrow morning. 

    The Prime Minister will then present the roadmap to the Commons before addressing the nation in a televised press conference in the afternoon.

    Mr Hancock said this morning the Government believed it had the vaccine supplies to meet the new target of offering all adults a jab by the end of July.

    'We now think that we have the supplies to be able to do that, we can see the NHS and all of those partners and all of those working on this have been able to deliver jabs at about half-a-million a day, which is an incredible effort,' he told Sky News' Sophy Ridge on Sunday.

    'So, collectively, the whole team now needs to focus on this renewed target of all vulnerable groups, all those over 50 by April 15 and then we will keep rolling out and make sure that all adults get access to the jab.' 

    The ONS infection survey estimated 481,300 people in England would have tested positive for the virus on any given day in the week to February 12, a dip of 30 per cent compared to the same time last week

    The ONS infection survey estimated 481,300 people in England would have tested positive for the virus on any given day in the week to February 12, a dip of 30 per cent compared to the same time last week

    Public Health England data published revealed Covid cases had plunged in all but two regions of England in the second week of February. They only rose in Tameside, Greater Manchester, and North East Lincolnshire

    Public Health England data published revealed Covid cases had plunged in all but two regions of England in the second week of February. They only rose in Tameside, Greater Manchester, and North East Lincolnshire

    Rishi Sunak plans to extend furlough- style support for businesses hit by Covid until AUTUMN after telling Tory MPs it needs to last beyond summer for nightclubs 

    Rishi Sunak is planning to announce the extension of furlough-style support for businesses hit by Covid until the autumn, The Mail on Sunday has learned.

    The Chancellor has told Tory MPs that support for some businesses will need to last beyond the summer, particularly for those that will not open any time soon, such as nightclubs.

    The MPs say Mr Sunak will present the furlough as an 'offset' to the tax rises.

    He will deliver his second Budget on March 3, and is expected to 'lay down markers' for future tax rises to start balancing the books.

    Corporation tax is set to rise from next year from 19 to 24 per cent, in staggered stages. High earners are also likely to be hit.

    Labour welcomed the accelerated vaccine target but called on the Government to 'urgently' set out how they will prioritise those aged under 50.

    Shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth said: 'It's perfectly reasonable for teachers, police officers and other key workers who haven't been able to stay at home in the lockdown to ask when their turn will be.

    'If Government aren't going to prioritise by occupation in the next phase, they need to set out why.

    'Vaccination must go hand-in-hand with measures to break transmission chains. That means paying people decent financial support to isolate, updating face coverings guidance and insisting in ventilation standards to ensure all workplaces are Covid secure.'

    Downing Street said the JCVI would publish its priority list for the second phase of the vaccine programme in due course.

    Last night, Mr Johnson said: 'Hitting 15 million vaccinations was a significant milestone, but there will be no let-up, and I want to see the rollout go further and faster in the coming weeks. 

    'We will now aim to offer a jab to every adult by the end of July, helping us protect the most vulnerable sooner, and take further steps to ease some of the restrictions in place.

    'But there should be no doubt – the route out of lockdown will be cautious and phased, as we all continue to protect ourselves and those around us.'

    According to the latest figures, 17,247,442 adults have been given their first dose of a vaccine, with 604,885 getting second doses. More than 1,500 vaccination sites are now spread across the country.

    NHS England also revealed that more than two-thirds of those aged between 65 and 69 have had their first dose, just a week after invitations were sent out to that age group.

    However, there are fears that a low take-up of vaccines among some ethnic minorities which could delay the emergence from lockdown. 

    A study in Birmingham found more than a third of vulnerable over-70s of Pakistani and Bangladeshi descent have not had a jab. 

    For black Africans, it is 47 per cent and for black Caribbeans it is 41 per cent.

    But the figure is only 9 per cent for those who identify as white British or mixed British. 

    Despite his personal impatience for a swift return to normal life, Mr Johnson's 'cautious and phased' approach has been based on analysis of Whitehall data about the likely levels of 'herd immunity' after the July target has been reached.

    Counting the under-18s too young to be inoculated, those who refuse the jab, and a vaccine efficacy rate no higher than 90 per cent, half of the population could still remain vulnerable to infection, limiting the extent to which the Government can lift restrictions.

    Community immunity is usually established when between 70 and 80 per cent of the population has immunity.

    Last night, a Government insider said: 'This is the delicate equilibrium which we will have to establish.

    'Just as we sadly have to accept a certain death toll from the flu every year, we will have to learn to live with Covid fatalities. We are acutely conscious of the effect which lockdown has and balance has to be found.But separate data from the ZOE Covid Symptom Study app suggested cases have plateaued. It said there were 14,064 new infections a day in the UK in the second week of February, a drop of just five per cent compared to the last seven-day spell. Their app can only pick up symptomatic infections, and not those with no warning signs thought to account for at least a third of all cases

    But separate data from the ZOE Covid Symptom Study app suggested cases have plateaued. It said there were 14,064 new infections a day in the UK in the second week of February, a drop of just five per cent compared to the last seven-day spell. Their app can only pick up symptomatic infections, and not those with no warning signs thought to account for at least a third of all cases

     

    Comment 

    We MUST resist the powerful voices arguing for Zero Covid: Vaccines will make the virus no more lethal than flu, says PROFESSOR ROBERT DINGWALL. So why sacrifice freedom and prosperity in a doomed attempt to eliminate it completely? 

    By Professor Robert Dingwall for the Mail On Sunday 

    The real Covid news gets better every day. Case numbers are falling. Hospital admissions are falling. Deaths are falling. The vaccination programme is a success beyond anyone's wildest imagination. New, effective treatments are emerging. Spring, fresh air and sunshine are almost upon us.

    Why, then, is there so much talk of keeping restrictions in place for the rest of the year? Why do some say that we should keep the so-called 'Rule of Six' for months to come and warn we might be wearing face masks for ever – yes, for ever – in some situations at least?

    Almost every day there is some fresh reason to be terrified, whether in the shape of long Covid or mutant viruses. No wonder the public is confused. Will we be allowed to go on holiday or will we be told to stay at home as the sun shines? How long must we wait as lives and livelihoods fall apart?

    We are rapidly approaching a crunch point for Britain. Do we treat the virus as an ordinary risk of life, much as we do with the other 30 respiratory viruses that have infected humans throughout history? This is the approach we have been promised since the beginning of the crisis.

    Some continue not to wear masks - the underground is still fairly busy despite the lockdown in February

    Some continue not to wear masks - the underground is still fairly busy despite the lockdown in FebruaryOr do we try to eliminate the virus from the UK altogether – the so-called Zero Covid approach, a route I believe is now favoured by a worrying number of influential voices in science and in Government?

    This is a political choice, not a scientific one – and I'm concerned at what I see. In my view, Zero Covid is authoritarian, involving a systematic denial of basic humanity. And it is probably impossible to achieve.

    Little has been said openly so far, but behind the scenes the battle is very real.

    Some of those at the very top have signalled their scepticism about Zero Covid. The Chief Medical Officer for England, Professor Chris Whitty, has spoken about living with the virus and reducing the deaths to a level of 7,000 to 10,000 a year, which is comparable to the number caused by seasonal influenza.

    His deputy, Professor Jonathan Van-Tam, has repeatedly stated that he does not think that Covid-19 can be eradicated from the United Kingdom. Sir John Bell, Regius Professor of Medicine at Oxford University, has been clear that people want to return to a normal way of life – including attending football matches – and will not tolerate restrictions for too much longer.

    Yet there are other, more cautious voices, too.

    PROFESSOR ROBERT DINGWALL: The vaccination programme (vaccination centre in Sheffiled pictured) is a success beyond anyone’s wildest imagination

    PROFESSOR ROBERT DINGWALL: The vaccination programme (vaccination centre in Sheffiled pictured) is a success beyond anyone's wildest imagination

    Health Secretary Matt Hancock has mostly obfuscated when asked direct questions about Zero Covid. The furthest he has gone is to 'hope' we can learn to live with Covid-19 like the flu – but only when, later in the year, every adult in the country has been vaccinated.

    The Welsh and Scottish governments have been clear that they wish to eliminate the virus, not manage it.

    And what of Sage, the Government advisory mechanism? This is a loose network of specialists with many sub-committees, including infection specialists on Nervtag (the new and emerging respiratory virus threats advisory group), public behaviour experts on Spi-B (the scientific pandemic insights group on behaviours) and the mathematicians on Spi-M (the scientific pandemic influenza group on modelling).

    Hardline union bosses are bringing teaching 'into disrepute', former Government education adviser Chris McGovern claims

    By Mark Hookham for the Mail on Sunday  

    Hardline union bosses are bringing the teaching profession 'into disrepute' by opposing the reopening of all schools next month, a former Government education adviser claimed last night.

    Nine organisations representing most teachers and headteachers in England have united to brand plans to reopen primary and secondary schools from March 8 'reckless'.

    Instead of the so-called 'big bang' opening being pushed by Boris Johnson, they want a slower, phased return of pupils to the classroom.

    After a string of Government U-turns during the pandemic, union leaders are said to be increasingly confident that they can force Mr Johnson and Education Secretary Gavin Williamson to back down.

    But last night, Chris McGovern, a former headteacher and education policy adviser to Margaret Thatcher, accused the unions of attempting to 'bully' the Government and warned that their stance risked causing huge damage to children's education.

    He said: 'The recklessness is coming from the unions. They are playing political games with children's futures and with the country.

    'The unions are seeking reasons for keeping schools closed. What they should be looking for are ways of saving this generation of children. It's an appalling indictment of the union bosses and the heads. They are bringing the profession into disrepute.'

    Last week, The Mail on Sunday revealed a video of militant teachers from the Left-wing National Education Union boasting of using threats of strike action to keep classrooms closed.

    Government officials fear teachers will refuse to go into work because it is unsafe, citing the 1996 Employment Rights Act – a tactic used last year. Leading education expert Professor Alan Smithers said last night it was the 'instinct' of unions to oppose measures put forward by Mr Johnson's Government, adding: 'I am sure they are hearing from their members it's a good aim [to reopen schools]. But I think it is also the instinct of the unions to find difficulties, because it is a Conservative Government, rather than say, 'Let's get on with this, it's desperately needed'.'

    Prof Smithers, director of the Centre for Education and Employment Research at the University of Buckingham, urged teachers to return to school.

    'For Heaven's sake let's get on with real life again and give our young people the best education we possibly can in this very disrupted year.' The nine organisations representing teachers, heads, governors and support staff signed a statement urging Mr Johnson to open schools on March 8 'only if the scientific evidence is absolutely clear that this is safe' and even then 'to go no further than a phased return of children'.

    Kevin Courtney, joint general secretary of the National Education Union, said that on current trends there was likely to be one infected person for every 300 by March 8 – 4.5 times higher than when schools returned last September.

    He added: 'If we really want to make sure this is the last lockdown, then it is clearly the most sensible course to proceed with caution – a phased approach like in Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland – opening slowly and checking what happens to the infection figures.'

    Scott Pughsley, a teacher in Preston, last night likened the reopening of all schools next month to 'pouring petrol on the smouldering embers of a fire to make it go boom and keep burning'.

     

    But at the heart of SAGE is an inner clique with the ear of Ministers and journalists – and it seems to favour Zero Covid.

    However, it is the Government's actions that speak the loudest of all – effectively closing down foreign travel with strict border controls, quarantine hotels and the draconian ten-year jail terms for those failing to comply. This looks like an elimination policy to me.

    The Zero Covid lobby might not win in the end. I profoundly hope it does not. But even now its influence is casting a pall over the success of the vaccination programme. And this damaging caution is preventing us from imagining – and grasping – the true possibilities that the vaccines offer for the weeks and months ahead.

    Of course I can see the theoretical attraction of Zero Covid in this country. It seems a clear and decisive way to escape from the nightmare of the last year. Border controls and quarantines would remain in place in an attempt to prevent the infection from being re-imported. It would also contribute to the global Zero Covid movement, an attempt to end the problem for the whole world for all time.

    The practice is likely to be different, however. The only infection to be completely eradicated from the planet is smallpox. Yet this took 200 years from the introduction of vaccination to its final elimination.

    The final 30 years were an unprecedented effort of international collaboration, at the height of the Cold War. Bear in mind, too, that smallpox is more easily diagnosed than Covid-19 – which is often present with no symptoms – and that the smallpox vaccine gives lifelong immunity, which is unlikely in the case of the coronavirus that causes Covid-19. We should understand this, too: Zero Covid envisages a total reconstruction of our way of life – diet, housing, relations with other species, travel and work, enforced by micro-management and aggressive policing. Like all utopians, its advocates think the ends justify whatever means are required to achieve them.

    The nearest working model of Zero Covid can be found in China, where the strategy from the outset was to have no infections at all. David Rennie, of The Economist, describes life in Beijing today: 'Every time you step outside your door you have to use a smartphone to scan a QR code – every shop, every taxi, every bus, every metro station. You have no privacy at all – it's all built around this electronic system of contact tracing…

    'We basically don't have the virus here, but… it's very hard to know where Covid containment starts and a Communist police state with an obsession with control kicks in.'

    For us, though, there is better news. The success of vaccines and their rollout means we can be confident that living with Covid-19 need be little different from living with any other respiratory virus.

    This is what both clinical trials and actual experience have shown and why we have spent millions of pounds buying vaccines and delivering them. What was the point if nothing was going to change? Do we not believe the evidence?

    The benefits are being confirmed each day both by real experience in Israel and – it has been reported – by unpublished UK data.

    Above all, we must hold on to this fact: vaccines protect us against the chances of serious illness or death. They probably reduce the likelihood of you infecting other people, too, but that is not what matters. Sitting on a bus next to someone who is coughing and spluttering might be unpleasant but it is not a death sentence – not if you have been vaccinated. Your biggest risk is of a mild illness.

    Of course, it would be better if people with symptoms stayed at home for a few days – and we should find ways to encourage that – but vaccination means there will be no justification for face coverings, empty seats and constant sanitisation.

    There is no need for endless testing or vaccine 'passports'. If you visit another country, you are protected by your own immunity. Perhaps your holiday will be spoiled by a mild infection, but who among us has not been unwell abroad?

    There is no point to an elaborate system for testing, tracing and isolating because the spread of the infection does not matter. And once you understand this, then the case for the whole system of control and restriction falls apart.

    Unfortunately, the past year has created its own vested interests. Contact tracing was the biggest contributor to UK economic growth in December 2020. There are big contracts, large research grants and an endless vista of construction projects refitting buildings to new ventilation standards.

    Some advisers enjoy the glamour of their TV appearances and the sense of power that goes with any apparatus of control. These interests are protected by the prevailing culture of fear and the exaggeration of concerns such as virus variants and long Covid. These are things to study but not a cause of alarm. Viruses vary all the time but rarely shift to a degree that makes vaccines or therapies totally ineffective.

    It is true that some vulnerable people have been reluctant to accept the vaccinations on offer and may remain vulnerable. But this problem is not beyond the reach of a well-organised information campaign, such as we are now seeing.

    Living with Covid challenges vested interests – but will also release us to do things that are more useful and economically productive than living in fear, inevitably poorer, endlessly seeking permission for this or clearances to do that.

    It was misleading for some to claim, as they did last spring, that the infection was no worse than a bad flu. It is a nasty disease, difficult to control and it has killed far too many people. But now we can take influenza as a benchmark. Vaccination brings the risk posed by Covid down to levels humans have lived with for millennia.

    If we would not do something to control flu, why would we ever do it for a population vaccinated against Covid? It is time to seize the opportunity we have given ourselves. As levels of immunity rise we must demand that controls fall just as rapidly away.

    We have every right to the 'old normal' of human contact, joy and celebration – not a soulless 'new normal' of Government control, impoverishment and continuing misery.

    lRobert Dingwall is a professor of sociology at Nottingham Trent University and a member of Government advisory groups. He writes here in a personal capacity.

     

    Matt Hancock is 'livid with Tony Blair for pinching his Covid ideas to pass off as his own' as ex-PM - who's accused of acting as if he's still in No 10 - gets the vaccine at 67  

    By Brendan Carlin, political correspondent for the Mail on Sunday 

    Matt Hancock has 'stopped talking' to Tony Blair amid accusations that the former Prime Minister pinched Government anti-Covid ideas to pass them off as his own, it was claimed last night.

    The Health Secretary is said to be livid after two key proposals allegedly mentioned in private conversations – an initial priority one-jab vaccine policy and mass testing – later emerged as Mr Blair's own suggestions.

    A well-placed Government source told The Mail on Sunday that Mr Hancock had now broken off contact with the 67-year-old ex-premier – who yesterday posted a picture of himself receiving his Covid jab on Twitter – over the breaches.The source said: 'Matt was briefing Blair as a courtesy to a previous Prime Minister. But he cottoned on that Blair was milking these conversations.

    'And that's when Hancock said, 'I'm not going to talk to you any more.' '

    Tory MPs have also privately complained at the way 'Tony Blair appears to be going round still pretending he is PM'.

    The Health Secretary declined to comment last night. However, a source said: 'Matt has spoken with all the living prime ministers in the course of the pandemic.'

    Obesity link to UK Covid toll 

    By Ethan Ennals for the Mail on Sunday

    Britain's status as the 'sick man of Europe' led to our shocking death toll from Covid, experts have claimed.

    High standards of NHS care that help many of us live longer with diabetes and survive heart attacks has meant we may have been left more exposed to the virus.

    Increasing numbers of older patients living with multiple illnesses ensured many were more vulnerable than our neighbours, said one leading obesity researcher.

    Speaking on The Mail on Sunday's Medical Minefield podcast, Professor Naveed Sattar, a top diabetes expert at the University of Glasgow, said: 'A third of our nation are in the obese category. This is much higher than other parts of Europe and does contribute to the high excess [Covid] mortality that we've seen in the UK.'

    Data shows being obese can raise Covid morbidity by nearly 50 per cent.

    But our unhealthy lifestyles aren't solely to blame. Instead, Prof Sattar suggested: 'We have an excellent Health Service but the consequence of this is we have more people living longer with underlying health problems than many other parts of the world.'

    Last month, MP Therese Coffey was lambasted for suggesting on ITV's Good Morning Britain that the UK's Covid death toll was one of the highest in Europe because Britons were 'old and obese'.

    The UK is also the most obese country in western Europe, with rates rising faster than in the United States.

    Listen to The Mail on Sunday's Medical Minefield podcast at mailplus.co.uk. 

    However, Mr Blair's office dismissed the accusations, insisting he had not taken the one-jab policy from Mr Hancock as he had never discussed it with him.

    But the claims may tarnish Mr Blair's burgeoning reputation for being way ahead of the game in the fight against Covid, with even Nigel Farage claiming 'he seems to have a grip on this far more than the Cabinet'.

    Mr Blair's apparent far-sightedness includes being one of the first to call for the UK's ground-breaking 'first-jab priority' vaccination in a newspaper last December – seven days before vaccine chiefs and the country's four chief medical officers approved such a plan. 

    Earlier last year, he appeared to anticipate the Government's decision to introduce mass testing for the virus regardless of whether people had symptoms.

    The Sunday Times reported last month how Mr Blair was offering 'strategic advice' to Mr Hancock while his think-tank, the Tony Blair Institute For Global Change, had been repurposed to address Covid-19 policy. 

    One Blair ally even boasted last week: 'Quite frequently, what Tony suggests today, the Government does tomorrow.'

    But last night, the idea that the Cabinet followed Mr Blair was dismissed by one senior Government figure as 'complete b******s'.

    He told The Mail on Sunday: 'Blair influencing the Government? I tell you it's the opposite.

    'It's just stuff that he [Mr Blair] picked up on the phone when he was talking to Matt. Then he goes out and goes public with it.'

    The source said that the Health Secretary was happy 'in the beginning' to have private conversations with the former Prime Minister.

    But he said that came to a stop after Mr Blair appeared to claim credit 'out of the blue' for the one-jab dosing interval.

    He said: 'We were already looking at changing the dosing, talking to the manufacturers, before he even published his article on it or went on the Today programme. 

    It was an informal chat. Matt was briefing him as a courtesy and the next thing, he's freelancing, he's the world expert himself on this.'

    The Health Secretary is said to be livid after two key proposals allegedly mentioned in private conversations – an initial priority one-jab vaccine policy and mass testing – later emerged as Mr Blair’s own suggestions. Pictured: Tony Blair getting the coronavirus vaccine

    The Health Secretary is said to be livid after two key proposals allegedly mentioned in private conversations – an initial priority one-jab vaccine policy and mass testing – later emerged as Mr Blair's own suggestions. Pictured: Tony Blair getting the coronavirus vaccine

    However, the ally of Mr Blair insisted he was probably 'acting in concert with the Government' by proposing pandemic policies which were then adopted by Ministers.

    He said: 'I think there is some degree of co-ordination. I don't think it's in any way illicit or bad.

    'Mr Blair is aware of what the Government is doing. And quite frequently what Tony suggests today the Government does tomorrow.'

    Last night, a spokeswoman for Mr Blair insisted his call for a one-jab policy 'arose out of discussions with experts and from the recognition that there would be a three-month gap between the first and second AstraZeneca jab'.

    Mr Blair's office insisted the mass testing idea was first aired by his institute as early as last March.

    A source also played down reports of a rift with Mr Hancock, saying that he had spoken to him since December.

     

    More than two-thirds of people aged between 65 and 69 have had their first vaccine doses – just a week after invitations went out, health bosses say 

    By Max Aitchison for the Mail on Sunday 

    More than two thirds of people aged between 65 and 69 have had their first jabs – just a week after invitations went out, health bosses said last night.

    NHS England chief executive Sir Simon Stevens said the extraordinary uptake had led to 'early signs' that the vaccine rollout was contributing to a fall in coronavirus hospitalisations.

    'The NHS Covid vaccination campaign continues full steam ahead – letters inviting everyone aged 65 to 69 went out a week ago, and already over two-thirds of them have had their first Covid vaccination,' he said.

    'Across England overall, nearly a third of adults have now had their first jab, and early signs suggest this is contributing to the welcome fall in coronavirus hospitalisation that we're now seeing.'

    Latest figures show that more than 17 million people have received their first jabs – while the number of people who have had their second passed 600,000 yesterday. Pictured: Doctor Kate Martin (L) administers an injection of AstraZeneca/Oxford Covid-19 vaccine to a patient at the vaccination centre set up at St Columba's church in Sheffield, England, on February 20

    Latest figures show that more than 17 million people have received their first jabs – while the number of people who have had their second passed 600,000 yesterday. Pictured: Doctor Kate Martin (L) administers an injection of AstraZeneca/Oxford Covid-19 vaccine to a patient at the vaccination centre set up at St Columba's church in Sheffield, England, on February 20

    Now a further 460,000 people aged 64 will be called to receive their jabs as the Government marches towards its target of vaccinating 32 million of the most vulnerable groups in society by early May.

    Latest figures show that more than 17 million people have received their first jabs – while the number of people who have had their second passed 600,000 yesterday.

    They include Great British Bake Off judge Prue Leith, 80, who revealed earlier this month that she had been given her second dose, having received her first in December.

    It comes amid rising fears that the vaccine rollout has become a postcode lottery. Several areas across England have reportedly started offering jabs to people below the age of 60, while others are still working through the 65-to-69 cohort.

    Meanwhile, the Government's decision to space out vaccine doses by up to 12 weeks so it could offer protection to more people was vindicated by two separate research papers published last week. Israeli scientists found a single shot of the Pfizer vaccine is 85 per cent effective in preventing people falling ill with coronavirus symptoms, according to research published in the Lancet medical journal.

    Professor Eyal Leshem, lead author of the report which studied 9,000 healthcare workers from an Israeli medical practice over a month, said the findings 'certainly provide evidence that the UK's policy on the delay between doses is reasonable and justified'.

    And researchers at Oxford University found that leaving 12 weeks between doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine actually boosted how well it works.

    Analysis found that a single dose was 76 per cent effective in preventing Covid symptoms between 22 and 90 days after the injection, rising to 82 per cent after a second dose at that stage.

     

    Pub and restaurant chiefs say they're ready to reopen for Alfresco April - and it looks like their customers are too!

    Hospitality sector chiefs last night insisted they are ready to welcome back customers for alfresco dining.

    Ahead of Boris Johnson's speech tomorrow setting out a roadmap for reopening, leading restaurateurs, pub owners and chefs said they have spent months preparing to serve customers outdoors.

    But while they are demanding to be allowed back in business before Easter, No 10 is set to announce – as revealed in today's Mail on Sunday – that reopening will be put off until mid-April. 

    The pubs aren’t open yet, but thirsty shoppers are already thronging to London’s famous Borough Market. Hospitality sector chiefs last night insisted they are ready to welcome back customers for alfresco dining

    The pubs aren't open yet, but thirsty shoppers are already thronging to London's famous Borough Market. Hospitality sector chiefs last night insisted they are ready to welcome back customers for alfresco dining

    The delay is to give enough time for a study into the effect of the return to school on the R number.

    Industry body UK Hospitality, which estimates the sector lost £72 billion in revenue last year and more than one million jobs, last week presented the Government with a ten-point plan to re-open the industry from April 1.

    Chief executive Kate Nicholls said: 'There is no valid reason for hospitality to be at the back of the queue as data shows hospitality venues are very low risk due to the exceptional investment that businesses have made in creating safe and Covid-secure environments.'

    Shoppers are back at London's famous Borough Market

    The pubs aren't open yet, but thirsty shoppers (above) are already thronging to London's famous Borough Market.

    The crowds enjoyed a relatively balmy 15C yesterday afternoon as they browsed market stalls and collected takeaway drinks from some of the capital's most historic bars.

    The lockdown-weary shoppers took full advantage of yesterday's sunshine, and the nation's publicans will be hoping for an even bigger turnout when they're finally allowed to open their doors again. 

    Model-turned-publican Jodie Kidd, who runs The Half Moon in Kirdford, West Sussex, has spent months preparing to reopen. 

    She has put up a 22-seater marquee filled with olive trees festooned with lights. She said: 'We are Covid-safe, we have accommodated all the restrictions, we are good to go.

    'Now we need a date and guidance for when and how we can re-open – we need time to prepare.'

    Chef Jack Stein has spent winter deep-cleaning the Cornish Arms in Cornwall's St Merryn, a pub he owns with his famous father Rick.

    'We've given the pub a lick of paint, we've just bought a marquee, we're doing everything we can to maximise our outdoor space,' he said. 'We're raring to go.'

    Des Gunewardena, chief executive of the D&D London group that includes former Conran restaurants Bluebird, Quaglino's and Le Pont de la Tour, said he is planning a re-opening campaign to give his restaurants' terraces and rooftop courtyards a new look.

    Each will be given the theme of a popular holiday destination – with trees, floral displays, live music, cocktail trolleys and alfresco barbecues – to cheer up customers who cannot travel abroad. 

    'It's like the end of the war – it's a new start and we will re-open with enthusiasm to look forward. There is a huge demand by customers to get out socialising again,' he said.

    Meanwhile, the owner of a Suffolk-based teepee company said she had seen a spike in interest from pubs and restaurants looking to spruce up outdoor seating.

    Jenna Ackerley, of Events Under Canvas, said she normally rents out her 24 teepees to around 180 weddings each year but her income now relies entirely on the hospitality industry.

    Pub bosses have been left furious in recent months over the Government's handling of policies such as the 10pm curfew. Last week, the chief executives of Fuller's, Young's, Greene King and Mitchells & Butlers said they would no longer attend weekly calls with Business Minister Paul Scully. They said the calls had become a 'tick box exercise' and they were treated with 'an obvious lack of interest and respect'.

    Patrick Dardis, the chief executive of the Young's pub chain, urged the Government to open pubs by the Easter weekend 'to allow families and friends to enjoy the start of spring'. 

    At the very minimum, Mr Dardis said, his group's 300 pubs should be allowed to open at the end of April with the Rule of Six outdoors and two households allowed to mix indoors. He added outdoor-only trading would be 'impossible to operate' for his group.

    Oakman Inns, which has 28 pubs across the Home Counties, all with large gardens, has already invested around £1.4 million in outside tented spaces and glass dining pods.

    Chief executive Dermot King said he would back testing customers on entry to his pubs, and potentially scanning vaccination certificates if it meant restrictions such as the Rule of Six could be scrapped. 

  • 5 March, it was said. 

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