[Music]
a long winter hunkering down
as we await brighter times hope in the
air with the rapid rollout of vaccines
but no signs yet of an early end
to restrictions this remains
a deadly virus and it will take time for
the impact
of vaccinations to be felt so for now we
must all stand firm
winter will still be upon us at the next
milestone
the 15th of february when ministers
review the
england-wide lockdown by that date the
government hopes to have offered a
vaccine
to everyone over 70 and all extremely
clinically vulnerable people
regardless of age boris johnson will
then set out his roadmap
out of lockdown in the week beginning
the 22nd of february
that is when scotland is due to embark
on a phased reopening of schools
in england a longer wait schools may
begin to open from the 8th of march
if the virus is abating in an ideal
world for the government
the spring blossom would herald a wider
easing of measures
but the government has given itself
leeway on its key goal
vaccinating the over 50s it's pledged to
do that
before the end of spring which is
technically the 21st of june
good afternoon thanks for joining us
government scientists say that
vaccinating that group
is crucial to easing pressure on the nhs
as you go on to the next wave down to
those of the 50
we have further inroads into reducing
death
and also significantly reduce the
pressure on the nhs
keen for an easing of some restrictions
tory mps want
england to follow scotland in a phased
re-opening of schools
this month we need to get our children
learning again england should lead by
example public health england have said
that primary schools are safe that they
have low
rates of transmission so
why not at least open the primary
schools or
a couple of years in the primary schools
from after the february half term
impatience amongst conservative
backbenchers for movement
behind the scenes tory mps are critical
of the scientists
for their caution you could almost feel
the goal post moving one told me of the
focus
on vaccinating the over 50s i understand
boris johnson has been sounding bullish
in private about
opening up rishi sunak ever keen to see
the economy moving
rarely misses an opportunity to offer
warm word to backbench skeptics
but friends insist the chancellor fully
accepts the need to act cautiously
in the face of a mutating virus it's a
big joint
ecosystem one leading scientist urges
caution i think if we learn from our
previous two waves
uh the mistakes that were made were
opening things up too quickly
and maybe slightly too early and what we
have to think about now is that as we
take
those most at-risk individuals out of
the circulation for the virus
the virus will just simply move then
into people who are circulating and if
we have large numbers of people
45 50 onwards circulating in the
population with the virus
then the the number of infections in
that age group will rise
and the pressure on the nhs would not be
alleviated
help at last prompting natural feelings
of elation
but the message for now is hold tight