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As always, Boris Johnson promises a lot. When he presented his government’s plans in the British Parliament on Monday night, he offered the prospect of nothing less than the definitive end of the shutdown, and thus of loneliness, restrictions and deprivation. The country could now take the “one-way street to freedom,” the prime minister said in his speech. He wants to lift all of Corona’s measurements by June 21, forever.
Britain is currently in its third strict lockdown, with over 120,000 deaths, the country has more victims than all EU members. Previous loosening of exit and contact bans had in the past led to new violent waves of infection and the spread of a highly contagious viral mutation.
“We are concerned about being too ambitious,” the prime minister said in parliament of his easing schedule. “It might seem arrogant to plan against a virus.” However, advanced corona vaccines would have fundamentally changed the situation, he also referred to the greater success of his government: almost one in three Britons is now vaccinated and around 300,000 more receive a dose every day. All people over 50 in Great Britain must be immunized against the virus by April 15, and all adults by July.
The prime minister said the return to normalcy must be started with care. However, in return, the easing should be “irrevocable”. He promised to make it easier each week: On March 8, all schools should open and nursing homes should be able to receive visits again. Three weeks later, with the start of the Easter holidays, up to six people or two whole families should be allowed to gather outside. It should continue like this about every five weeks, because this interval is necessary to understand the effects of the respective relaxation, says Johnson. You can find out more about the UK calendar here.
With the latest successes in vaccination, the prime minister and his conservatives are enjoying increasing popularity. According to representative polls, Johnson would also win an election now, after the many setbacks during the pandemic had left the British at times particularly dissatisfied with their government work.
Johnson’s balanced but defined plan now appears to pacify various interest groups: The relaxation that has dragged on for months is a concession to leading scientists who caution against rash action. The priority in opening schools and new visitation rights for nursing homes is at the same time a relief for British families. And the promise of an “irreversible” end to the shutdown should be a treat for all Britons.
The opposition seems fortuitous and visionless
Nationally, Johnson can also score points against the opposition. Even Labor leader Keir Starmer immediately praised his plan in the lower house as a “light at the end of the tunnel.” Thanks to Johnson and everyone who helped develop the plan, Starmer said. His party did not fare particularly well on Johnson’s move: While Labor had supported all the nasty precautionary measures and rather insisted on caution, the opposition seems almost planless and visionless after Johnson’s move.
The prime minister is more likely to experience headwinds from his own ranks. When the currently applicable Corona rules were passed, more party friends than ever held back their vote in January. The Covid Recovery Group, skeptical of the closure within its group, now has more than 70 members; the proposed easing now doesn’t come fast enough for them. In view of the vaccination successes, there is no reason to wait for more than April 30 with the complete lifting of all crown rules, the group announced.
In fact, there is still a long way to go before the planned end of the Corona rules at the end of June. Britain has been in strict lockdown since January 5; 18 more weeks would be added to these seven weeks by the end of June.
Plus, Johnson’s promise can only be trusted up to a point. Too often, the prime minister broke deadlines in Brexit negotiations, broke his word and violated international law. And: the virus could still thwart Johnson’s plans in the form of new outbreaks and mutations.
The prime minister apparently expects collateral damage anyway. With each relaxation, there were new infections, hospitalizations and deaths, he said when presenting the plan. If your schedule failed, you should be right in any case.
