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The much-anticipated decriminalisation of two consenting people meeting over coffee on a park bench was declared for 8 March under a loosening of coronavirus restrictions announced by Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister. On that day all schools in England will open. No earlier than 29 March, groups of six would be able to meet outdoors, including in private gardens, and tennis courts would reopen. No earlier than 12 April, all shops, hairdressers and libraries would open, and pubs and restaurants could serve customers outdoors. No earlier than 17 May, groups of six could meet indoors and foreign travel would be allowed. No earlier than the summer solstice, social meetings would be legalised, even wedding receptions. Michael Gove, the Cabinet Office minister, was to review the idea of certificates of vaccination allowing people into venues or workplaces, though the Prime Minister said: ‘We can’t be discriminatory against people who can’t have the vaccine.’ More than a third of the adult population had been vaccinated. The government said it aimed to vaccinate all adults by 31 July. At dawn on 21 February, total UK deaths (within 28 days of testing positive for coronavirus) had stood at 120,365, including 3,457 in the past week. With about 18,000 people with Covid in hospital by 18 February, numbers were half those at the peak in mid-January.
The Duke of Edinburgh, 99, spent more than a week in hospital with an infection not related to Covid. The Prince of Wales visited him. Buckingham Palace said that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex would not return as working members of the royal family; the Queen had written confirming it was not possible for them ‘to continue with the responsibilities and duties that come with a life of public service’.
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