Neve Gordon-Farleigh
Coined ‘Freedom Day’, 21 June has been the date we’ve all had in our diaries. As new cases of the Delta variant continue to rise, the government is now exercising caution over the lifting of restrictions.
The G7 Summit held over the weekend in Cornwall didn’t just allow for questions over the biggest global issues, it was an opportunity to ask about the government’s roadmap out of lockdown and, ultimately, the likelihood of restrictions being lifted completely on 21 June.
In an interview with the BBC’s Political Editor Laura Kuenssberg, the Prime Minister stressed that no final decisions had been made. Taking into account the recent data the PM emphasised, “the roadmap was always cautious but irreversible, and in order to have an irreversible roadmap, we’ve got to be cautious.”
It’s evident that the government does not want to find itself in a similar situation to last year, going in and out of lockdowns. The last thing the government wants is to take the country forward, to then have to go backwards. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab commented that, “we don’t want to yo-yo in and out of measures.”
As it currently stands, we are at Stage 3 of the roadmap. The 21st of June was set to be the day when restrictions were lifted. This movement to Stage 4 would see the end of social distancing and events to operate without reduced capacities.
However rumours have circulated that this freedom date is set to be pushed back due to a spread in the Delta variant.
Delta Variant
First identified in India, the new variant is recognisably more transmissible than other previously discovered variants. Public Health England have reported that the variant makes up over 90% of cases in England.
Looking at the data there will be four tests for lockdown lifting including the continuation of the vaccine rollout and its success, a stable NHS with fewer hospitalisations and deaths which won’t threaten the healthcare system and finally, identifying the risks with the addition of new variants.
A four-week delay is expected, in order to allow an increase in vaccinations and the administration of second doses. Health and Social Care Minister Edward Argar spoke to BBC Breakfast saying, “If we’re going at a run rate of 250,000-300,000 second jabs each day – a month gives you roughly 10 million.”
Impacts
“the Prime Minister’s announcement will provide clarity amidst the uncertainty.”
The Prime Minister will hold a press conference later today to announce future plans for the roadmap and the reasons behind this probably delay. However as the hospitality and events sector look at getting back on their feet, the delay is likely to be just another painful setback. With the country on tenterhooks, the Prime Minister’s announcement will provide clarity amidst the uncertainty.
Image courtesy of Matt Seymour on Unsplash. No changes were made to this image. The image license can be found here.
Neve Gordon-Farleigh
Neve is a 21 year old freelance journalist, and our Head Current Affairs and Instagram Editor for Empoword Journalism. She specialises in social media journalism and runs the Journo Resources Tik Tok page. You can find her on Twitter @Neve_GF.