Boris Johnson is set to announce whether an end to coronavirus restrictions will go ahead on July 19 after a four week delay.
The government had initially hoped to enter the final stage of the lockdown easing roadmap on June 21, but due to rising infection rates, 'Freedom Day' was pushed back.
The Prime Minister will update the public on July 5 in order to give businesses enough time to prepare for any planned changes.
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Since the last lockdown easing announcement, Sajid Javid has taken over as the government's Health Secretary following Matt Hancock's resignation after he was pictured breaching social distancing rules while kissing his aide Gina Colangelo.
Until the four week 'Freedom Day' delay, which was announced on June 14, lockdown easing in England had followed the government's proposed dates, with indoor hospitality reopening on May 17.
Concerns regarding the Delta variant, first discovered in India, prompted changes to the government's roadmap - but the new Health Secretary has said July 19 will be the 'end of the line' for coronavirus restrictions.
And it appears Mr Javid is keen to avoid any further delays in ending all remaining restrictions.
Speaking in Parliament on June 28, Mr Javid said his priority is to get the country back to normal and lift all social distancing rules on July 19.
The new Health Secretary confirmed that 'Freedom Day' would not be brought forward, but said he is determined to end all restrictions on July 19.
He said: "Whilst we decided not to bring forward step four, we see no reason to go beyond July 19.
"In truth, no date we choose comes with zero risk for covid, we cannot simply eliminate it, we have to learn to live with it.
"We also know that people and businesses need certainty, so we want every step to be irreversible.
"The restrictions to our freedom must come to an end."
Under the government's initial roadmap plans, Stage 4 of lockdown easing would mean the removal of social distancing rules and work from home guidance, the removal of all limits on social contact and the reopening of all venues that were unable to return as part of Stage 3, which includes nightclubs.
Dancing at weddings and other events would also be able to take place without restrictions.
How will the government decide whether to unlock fully on July 19?
Officials are analysing the data to see whether it is safe to ease restrictions further.
Under the roadmap, four key tests must be met before the next step can go ahead.
They are:
- That the vaccine deployment programme continues successfully
- That evidence shows jabs are sufficiently effective in reducing hospitalisations and deaths in those vaccinated
- That infection rates do not risk a surge in hospitalisations which puts unsustainable pressure on the NHS
- That the Government’s assessment of the risks is not fundamentally changed by new variants of concern
We took a look at each of the factors the government will be considering in any decisions around lockdown easing.
Vaccine deployment
According to the UK Covid19 Vaccine Tracker, the predicted update as of June 29 forecasts that all adults will have received a first dose by July 26.
The forecast also predicts all adults will have received both vaccine doses by September 24.
These predictions are based on current trends, supply, and second doses debt.
More than 44 million people have now received their first dose of the vaccine, with nearly 33 million second doses administered (as of June 29).
The government plans to vaccinate all over-18s with a first dose and two-thirds of adults with a second dose by 19 July.
Hospitalisations and deaths
According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS) h ospital admissions of Covid-19-confirmed patients in England increased to 1.86 per 100,000 people in the most recent week (ending June 20).
This is more than double the rate seen three weeks ago (0.90 in the week ending 30 May), but still much lower than in the mid-January peak when the rate was 36.02 per 100,000.
Hospital admission rates increased in most age groups and regions of England.
There were 102 deaths involving coronavirus registered in the week ending June 18 in England and Wales, accounting for 1.1% of all deaths that week.
Infection rates
In England, positive tests rose in the week ending June 24 with 77,742 coronavirus infections recorded. This is 24,394 more infections than in the previous seven days.
Locally, positive Covid infections increased in Liverpool by more than 70% in just seven days.
According to the latest data from Public Health England, Liverpool's positive tests came to 1,720 cases in the week ending June 24, which is 718 more cases than in the previous seven days.
Liverpool is experiencing a surge in Covid-19 infections and some areas of the city have now been categorised as major hotspots.
This week, the city council and the Director of Public Health issued urgent guidance to anyone living in the city wards of Greenbank, Picton and Riverside.
In the most recent week of data, these three wards accounted for 335 of Liverpool's total 1826 cases.
