Covid England: SAGE warned of 91k deaths if lockdown stopped earlier

Plans to lift England's third national lockdown earlier were effectively scrapped after grim forecasts from No10's top scientists warned that drastically easing restrictions at Easter would cause tens of thousands more deaths. The UK's vaccine rollout also dished out just 150,000 jabs in its worst performance yet; Couples and suppliers must wait until March 8 to have weddings and receptions with up to just six people - with unrestricted big days not set to occur before June 21; Teaching unions have demanded Boris Johnson scrap his plan to reopen all schools in England on March 8 in favour of a more cautious phased return to classrooms; Mr Zahawi said that the government was hoping this will be the last 'severe' coronavirus lockdown in England; Labour has insisted it supports schools reopening in full on March 8 despite opposition from teaching unions and Sir Keir Starmer saying there must be a considered approach; One in three adults have received a Covid jab as the government brings forward its target for vaccinating the whole population to July; Scientists have hailed early data showing the vaccines reduce transmission of coronavirus as well as easing its effects; The funeral of Captain Sir Tom Moore will be held on Saturday, in what the family said would be a 'small' service; Surge testing was introduced in Brentwood, Essex, following the discovery of the South African variant in the area. Step One Part Two: March 29 From March 29, outdoor gatherings of up to six people or a larger group from up to two households will be allowed. Boris Johnson's lockdown exit strategy in full: All schools back on March 8, two households meeting outdoors from March 29, non-essential shops, pubs and hairdressers open from April 12 and back to normal on June 21 Prime Minister Boris Johnson yesterday unveiled his 'cautious' lockdown exit strategy which could see life in England return to something close to normal by June at the earliest. However, social contact rules in England will not change further at this point and outdoor gatherings must still be limited to six people or two households as in Step One.