Image source, parliamentlive.tv

"We cannot escape the fact" that lifting lockdown will result in more cases and ultimately more deaths, Johnson says.

"There will always be some vulnerable people who are not protected by the vaccines."

We cannot have a "zero-Covid" world, the PM says.

Image source, parliamentlive.tv

Boris Johnson says his roadmap will "cautiously but irreversibly" ease restrictions in England.

The threat of Covid-19 remains "substantial", he says.

He says no vaccine can ever be 100% effective.

Here's what we know on the detail he is setting out so far.

The PM is on his feet and we're about to find out more details on Boris Johnson's plan to ease England's lockdown in four steps, beginning on 8 March.

Stay tuned...

Nick Eardley
Political correspondent

In the next few minutes, we’re about to get a much better idea of what the next few months could look like in England.

The gradual reopening of society will start on 8 March – with more mixing outdoors then allowed on 29 March. After that, we expect restrictions to be lifted roughly every five weeks.

But remember that ministers have always said the decisions will be based on the data – so it’s not impossible some of the plans we hear in the next few minutes will be moved back if necessary.

Boris Johnson will say this is cautious – and is all designed to ensure there isn’t another lockdown. That’s why some of the dates here might seem quite a long time away.

Boris Johnson is due in the House of Commons in about 15 minutes' time. He'll be setting out more details on the government's plan to lift England's lockdown.

Here's what we're expecting for the first stage of his four-part plan:

• From 8 March - All schools will open with outdoor after-school sports and activities allowed. Recreation in a public space - such as a park - will be allowed between two people, meaning they would be allowed to sit down for a coffee, drink or picnic
• From 29 March - Outdoor gatherings of either six people or two households will be allowed. It is understood this will include gatherings in private gardens. Outdoor sports facilities such as tennis or basketball courts will reopen and organised adult and children's sport, such as grassroots football, will also return

But the PM will be able to set out to MPs more detail of his plan to lift the country out of restrictions.

Image source, Press Association

A "big bang" approach to getting all of England's pupils back to classrooms is "difficult to understand", a school leaders' union has said.

All schools in England are to reopen on 8 March as part of the prime minister's "cautious" four-part plan to lift the coronavirus lockdown.

Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: "This is very different from the plans in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland in which a phased return is planned, and it is difficult to understand why the approach in England would go so much further."

Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the NAHT which represents head teachers, said the "return has to be sustainable".

"It is better to be cautious than to risk further closures and yet more disruption to children's education. A third lockdown for schools would be more devastating than taking our time now," he said.

But Russell Viner, professor of adolescent health at University College London, said it is "plausible" that schools in England can fully reopen while keeping the pandemic under control - if the lockdown is upheld in other areas and the vaccine rollout continues.

"Reopening secondaries fully brings the greatest risk for increasing infections, but may bring the greatest benefits for the mental health and life chances of our children," he said.

As Boris Johnson prepares to set out England's exit from lockdown, scientists have been looking at whether we're at the point where people have just had enough of the rules and are ready to flout them?

"I've been asked that question for over a year now and every time I've responded with the same things," says behavioural science expert Prof Stephen Reicher.

"By and large the public response has been very good. The problem is not people wilfully breaking the rules. When people can follow the rules not only has compliance been high throughout, in many ways it is higher now than it was before in terms of things like spatial distancing, mask wearing, hygiene and so on.

"The one place where it's lower is where things are difficult to do. And that brings me back to the issue of self-isolation - it's very difficult to do, you need support.

"So when we talk about behaviour, we often think the problem is motivation. Actually in this pandemic more often it's been the lack of support."

Prof Reicher, who sits on a sub-group of the government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies, calls for greater support from the government, saying the country would be in "a stronger position" with it.

Let's stop seeing the public as the problem, he adds.

Image source, Getty Images

UK retail giant John Lewis is considering closing more stores as it tries to cut costs and adapt to the rise in online shopping.

Up to eight more department stores may permanently close, on top of the eight branches it shut last year, which included two small travel hub shops at Heathrow Airport and St Pancras station

That could leave it with 34 stores, down from its current total of 42.

The potential move was first reported by the Sunday Times , externaland John Lewis has declined to comment.

But any closures would be another blow to the high street and town centres, which are already grappling with the fall-out from the collapse of Debenhams and Sir Philip Green's Arcadia empire.

The rise in internet shopping, exacerbated by various lockdown measures, has forced John Lewis to rethink how many stores it needs.

Read the full story here.

The debate within the Conservative Party about the speed of lifting lockdown restrictions in England is continuing to swirl.

Tory MP Mark Harper, who chairs the Covid Recovery Group of lockdown sceptics, says there is no justification for continuing with the restrictions beyond the end of April, when all over-50s should be vaccinated.

Speaking on the BBC's Politics Live, Mr Harper said the vaccines were a "game changer".

"We're in a different position than we were last year because of the impact of the vaccines and it troubles me that people aren't really understanding the impact that the vaccines are going to make," he said.

But Labour MP Margaret Hodge told the programme that vaccines were not the only issue that ministers had to think about when reviewing restrictions and that infections, hospitalisations and death rates all had to be taken in to account.

She warned that hospitals were "still under massive pressure" and said Harper's position was "driven too much by ideology" because he does not want the government to "interfere" in people's day-to-day decisions.

She said she hopes the prime minister sticks to his cautious approach and doesn't give in to pressure from his critics.

Harper said if the restrictions stay in place longer than is necessary, "I am afraid there are lots of people on furlough who will discover they don't have a job" and "there's going to be a huge amount of economic hurt and health consequences flowing from that and we're going to be picking up the pieces for years to come".

BBC Radio 5 Live

Schools in Scotland have been welcoming their youngest pupils back to the classroom for the first time since the Christmas break.

Jonathan Cunningham, head teacher of Knightswood Primary School, in Glasgow, tells BBC Radio 5 Live the teachers are "just as excited as the children".

He says the school has put up welcome banners to "make it a wee bit special" for youngsters struggling to leave their relatives at the school gate.

"None of us actually want to be away from the children, none of us want to be working remotely," he says.

Despite the excitement, the head says, some members of staff are anxious.

"We’ve had a number of people who have checked in with us quite a lot over the last two weeks," he says. "We’ve had people in the building as it’s been opening so we’ve given that transitional period as much to the staff as the children."

Listen to 5 Live on the free BBC Sounds app.

Image source, Shutterstock

Scotland has become the first country in the UK to include people with "mild to moderate learning disabilities" in priority group six for Covid vaccinations.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon confirmed the change at a press briefing.

It comes after BBC Radio 2 presenter Jo Whiley was offered a vaccine before her sister Francis who has diabetes and learning disabilities. Francis is now in hospital with Covid.

Charity Mencap has called for the threshold for group six priority to be opened up to anyone with a learning disability rather than one that is deemed "severe or profound".

Sturgeon says vaccinations for group six begin this week and it is the largest group Scotland's programme will have covered so far.

"It includes approximately one million people... which is more than one-fifth of the entire adult population," she says.

"It will take some weeks to provide first doses to everyone in that group so if you don't receive a letter giving you an appointment this week or next week do not worry," Sturgeon adds.

The first of the group to receive jabs will be those with underlying health conditions who are also on the flu vaccine list, and unpaid carers, she says.

BBC Radio 5 Live

The Children's Commissioner for England has told BBC Radio 5 Live's Naga Munchetty she wants school buildings in England to remain open during the summer.

Anne Longfield said it would help children to recover after the pandemic.

"There is an opportunity here for kids to explore and experience things in different ways, to have more time at school," she said.

She said it wasn't about teachers doing more.

"It's actually about opening up those resources, those sports halls, those art rooms, those swimming pools so that others in the community - charities, families, youth workers, can make the most of that resource in the community.

"Schools are much more than education, they're anchor points for us all, they are the place we trust, they're the place where our children grow up," she added.

Listen to 5 Live on the free BBC Sounds app.

Kerry Allen
BBC Monitoring, Chinese Media Analyst

Image source, EPA

China has lifted all remaining local lockdowns today.

No new domestically transmitted cases of Covid-19 have been detected in the past 24 hours, according to government statistics – and that has been the case for the last couple of weeks.

Today, cities in north-eastern Hebei and Heilongjiang province that experienced outbreaks last month have ended lockdown, and life is returning to normal.

They follow in the footsteps of Tonghua, a previously hard-hit city in north-eastern Jilin province, which announced the end of lockdown yesterday.

China has been strict about implementing lockdown measures throughout the pandemic.

If only a single case of Covid-19 is identified, a district becomes “medium-risk” and local lockdown measures are enforced.

These are often strict: all schools and businesses in these regions are closed, and people are prevented from leaving their homes. Goods are delivered to them by volunteers and they are tested multiple times.

Despite China celebrating the end of lockdown today, precautions are very much still in place. Hundreds of millions of people have been travelling over the past month for Chinese New Year, and so the country is anticipating further outbreaks.

Last summer, when China last brought the virus fully under control, there were still fears that it might enter via travellers, or imported goods. As a result, today Beijing is actually stepping up checks on all mail entering the city “to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus".

BBC Radio 5 Live

Listeners have been telling BBC Radio 5 Live’s Your Call programme what they want to hear from Boris Johnson this afternoon about lockdown easing.

Marion, in Blackpool, says she and her husband want to hear good news about the hospitality sector reopening.

They will be celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary in May and have booked a luxury hotel in Derbyshire.

"I was just hoping things would open by the first of May but it doesn’t look like the hotels will be open by then," she says.

Marion says she is worried they'll end up marking the occasion on their own "watching Saturday night TV".

"It’s a terrible situation; you only get one golden wedding anniversary," she says.

Sylvia, a hairdresser in Middlesbrough, says she is happy to wait to reopen to keep people safe.

"It’s the price we have to pay financially, emotionally and hair-wise," she says.

"To save lives is the most important thing. I’m just prepared to dig in deep."

Sylvia says she has seen first-hand how difficult it is in hospitals.

“I’ve been in the hospital quite a few times recently with my mother-in-law. I’ve seen the wards taped up, I’ve seen the stress on the staff,” she says.

Listen to 5 Live on BBC Sounds.

Image source, Reuters

Many schools have reopened today in Germany, but officials say infection rates remain worryingly high.

Only in two western states - Baden-Württemberg and Saarland - is the weekly average infection rate below 50 per 100,000 inhabitants. It is above that target level in the other 14 federal states.

Germany's infection rate was far higher in early January, but politicians are concerned that the rate is now dropping very slowly or hardly at all.

The highest rate is 354, in Bavaria's Tirschenreuth district.

German Health Minister Jens Spahn described the Covid situation as "irritating, intensely irritating".

The health minister for Baden-Württemberg, Manne Lucha, said teachers in the south-western state would start getting the AstraZeneca vaccine from Monday.

Spahn says a national rollout of Covid jabs for teachers should be possible from 1 March.

Read the full story here.

Image source, Getty Images

Wales' education minister has repeated her support for a shorter summer holiday for schools.

Kirsty Williams said Covid-19 "has amplified some of the challenges of prolonged periods outside of school".

She said there is "a discussion to be had about whether changing the academic year is the appropriate thing to do".

But Ms Williams told the Welsh Government press briefing the current priority was to get pupils back to the classroom over the next few months.

On Friday, First Minister Mark Drakeford indicated that some non-essential shops could reopen before all secondary pupils were back to face-to-face learning.

When asked about other areas of society opening before all children were back at school, Ms Williams says the government would "use what available headroom we have to prioritise children and young people - that will not change".

But she says there "may be other headroom that allows us to do other things".

Nicola Sturgeon says there will be broad similarities between the lockdown easing plan she will announce tomorrow and Prime Minister Boris Johnson's roadmap for England to be unveiled later today.

The first minister says she is not going to pre-empt Mr Johnson's announcement, which he will give to parliament at 15:30 GMT, and will only discuss what has been suggested in the media.

She adds: "I would think that while our plans out of lockdown will not be identical - they are already not identical because we have got some kids back at school today.

"So they will not be identical but I think there will be broad similarities."

Ms Sturgeon says she thinks the "principles will be the same".

"Clearly we will make our own judgements about the particular order and the particular timing of that because the data is not identical in each of the four nations," she says.

Image source, PA Media

Sir Keir Starmer says it is "frustrating" the Government did not use half-term to vaccinate teachers and school staff before children go back to class on 8 March.

Appearing on LBC to take questions from the public, the Labour leader says: "I want all of our schools ideally opened on 8 March, that's what the Prime Minister has said, and we want to see that ideally happen."

Asked why he has said "ideally", Sir Keir says: "I feel like a broken record on this, I'm slightly frustrated.

"Back in September I said to the government, have a plan, if you're going to get children back you need ventilation, you need proper testing.

"I have always said Nightingale classrooms. If you can put them up for hospitals, if you need more space in your schools, put your Nightingale classrooms up.

"We just had half-term and I said to the government, use that to vaccinate teachers and school staff before we go back to school. They didn't do it and it is frustrating."

Image source, Getty Images

France rugby union captain Charles Ollivon will miss Sunday's Six Nations match against Scotland after testing positive for coronavirus.

Four other players - Brice Dulin, Cyril Baille, Romain Taofifenua and Peato Mauvaka - have also tested positive.

The French Rugby Federation says two members of backroom staff are also considered "suspicious cases" after their tests.

The players and staff involved will return home to isolate and the rest of the side will return to training on Wednesday with testing taking place every 24 hours.

In total, 10 France players have tested positive so far. Some are already isolating after returning positive tests last week.

Head coach Fabien Galthie and assistant William Servat also tested positive earlier this week and have been isolating.

BBC rugby union correspondent Chris Jones says the Six Nations is now under pressure to act as the game is very much in the balance.

Head to BBC Sport for the full story.

Education Minister Kirsty Williams says all pupils in Wales could be back in school after Easter, with those in years 11 to 13 and students in further education to be tested twice weekly for Covid.

“This testing will be done through lateral flow devices, which means they can be done from learners’ homes which will assist with the planned return of older pupils from 15 March,” she said.

The minister added: "We will confirm the situation for other learners before the Easter holidays.

"I can tell you that it is my preference to get all learners back in school after that break."

"I promise to provide further details on how this will look when I can do so".

Schools in Wales are due to reopen after the Easter break on 12 April.