British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that the UK aims to gradually end lockdown measures and reopen the economy over the next five months.
Johnson stated that the plan will heavily rely on a cautious and measured approach to exit lockdown in an irreversible manner. He mentioned that the phased exit plan will be careful but non-reversible, with schools likely reopening on March 8, as the UK has outpaced most of the world in vaccinating its population. The UK Office for National Statistics conducted a survey showing that the country's economy has been the most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic among G7 nations, even accounting for significant differences in measuring government spending. It is noted that the UK targets being among the leading major Western economies to regain some aspects of normal life, although it is still far from the high growth rates seen in China.
The Daily Mail reported that while employees working in offices will be required to continue working from home for some time, other sectors of the economy will be allowed to reopen, such as holiday venues and larger hotels in April. Open-air recreation places like parks, zoos, golf courses, outdoor gyms, and tennis courts can resume operations in April, while pop music venues, pubs, and restaurants will have to wait until May, with all pubs expected to reopen in early June. The newspaper clarified that recreational venues might not return to normal operations until July, while office workers are expected to be informed to continue working from home for the foreseeable future.
