As infection rates continue to fall across the country, the Government are delivering the first phase of our cautious but irreversible roadmap to recovery, after months of living under tough restrictions to keep the virus under control and save lives.

Thanks to the collective efforts of the British people and the success of the vaccine rollout, which has seen the rate of infection and cases continuing to fall, we are taking the first step in our cautious roadmap back to normality.

As pupils return to schools and colleges across the country, the Government are also relaxing restrictions on outdoor socialising, so people can meet with one other person from another household for either exercise or recreation, while care home residents can now receive regular indoor visits from a named loved one.

While the easing of these restrictions will be a source of joy and relief for us all, as we safely reunite with friends and family after months apart, we must remain vigilant if we are to move through with our plan to reopen society and return to our normal way of life.

As pupils return to schools and colleges, the Government are providing 57 million rapid tests to schools and colleges to help identify cases and break the chains of transmission; and this testing is in addition to existing safety already in place which will all help keep staff and students safe, and crucially, in class.

For more information on the reopening of schools and colleges, please visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/schools-and-colleges-to-reopen-from-tomorrow-as-part-of-step-one-of-the-roadmap.

Vaccine Update… Our vaccination programme has so far been an extraordinary success – with over 22.2 million people across the UK now having received their first dose, helping to cut infection rates and reduce the spread of the virus.

We have administered over 23.3 million vaccines across the UK. We are averaging almost 2.7 million doses a week, and almost 40 per cent of adults across the country have now received their first dose. We have now invited people aged 56 to 59 for their COVID jab. This latest invite has been sent after more than eight in ten people aged 65 to 69 took up the offer of a jab.

The latest data is clear – vaccines save lives. Both the Oxford and Pfizer vaccines reduce the likelihood of serious illness by 60 per cent after the first dose, and reduce the likelihood of hospitalisation by 80 per cent after one dose.

On Saturday, the Government announced that all businesses in England will now be able to sign up to the Government’s free COVID-19 workplace testing programme, enabling them to reopen safely as we return to more normal life.

Regular workplace testing is a vital part of our route back to normal life and is already working well in larger companies whose workers need to be on site to do their roles – but we want to go further.

That is why the Government are now expanding our offer of free testing to businesses of all sizes, not just those with 50 employees or more. This testing will help identify new cases quickly in workplaces - helping to prevent outbreaks at work and protect employees as we continue to cautiously lift restrictions.

Keeping people safe as they return to work is central to our plan to build back better from the pandemic, and with regular workplace testing we can protect the gains we have made and usher in a brighter future.

For more information on the Government’s free rapid tests for all businesses for regular workplace testing, including the online portal to apply, please visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/free-rapid-tests-for-all-businesses-for-regular-workplace-testing.