Government’s 50-page roadmap out of lockdown and what it means for you

Boris Johnson has published his plan to “give people hope” in the form of his long-awaited “road map” for getting Britain out of its coronavirus lockdown. 

Entitled “Our plan to rebuild”, the 51-page dossier sets out a three-phase strategy for gradually lifting the current restrictions.

Mr Johnson says that, to save lives, “we must acknowledge that life will be different, at least for the foreseeable future”.

In a stark admission, he says it is possible that a vaccine for coronavirus may never be found, meaning the UK is in for a “long haul” in the fight against the virus.

In his foreword to the document, the Prime Minister says it is “a plan that should give the people of the United Kingdom hope – hope that we can rebuild; hope that we can save lives; hope that we can safeguard livelihoods”.

However, he adds: “While we hope for a breakthrough, hope is not a plan. A mass vaccine or treatment may be more than a year away. Indeed, in a worst-case scenario, we may never find a vaccine. So our plan must countenance a situation where we are in this, together, for the long haul, even while doing all we can to avoid that outcome.

“I know the current arrangements do not provide an enduring solution – the price is too heavy, to our national way of life, to our society, to our economy, indeed to our long-term public health. And while it has been vital to arrest the spread of the virus, we know it has taken a heavy toll on society – in particular to the most vulnerable and disadvantaged – and has brought loneliness and fear to many.

“We’ve asked you to protect those you love by separating yourself from them, but we know this has been tough and that we must avoid this separation from turning into loneliness. So this plan seeks to return life to as close to normal as possible, for as many people as possible, as fast and fairly as possible, in a way that is safe and continues to protect our NHS.”

Below, we break down the dossier by section. The full document, in PDF form, can also be seen, below: