4 tests for lifting lockdown

The Prime Minister has set out a four step roadmap to lifting lockdown, and the four tests that will be used to judge whether it is safe to move through each step.

At every stage, the decisions will be led by the scientific evidence.  That means any decisions about moving from step to step will be subjected to four tests.

• First, that the vaccine deployment programme continues successfully; 
• Second, that evidence shows vaccines are sufficiently effective in reducing hospitalisations and deaths; 
• Third, that infection rates do not risk a surge in hospitalisations which would put unsustainable pressure on the NHS;
• And fourth, that our assessment of the risks is not fundamentally changed by new variants of Covid that cause concern.