Summary

  • People around the UK hold phones, torches and candles on their doorsteps in tribute to the victims as part of a national day of reflection

  • The UK is "cautiously but irreversibly" on path to freedom, Boris Johnson says, exactly a year after he announced the first pandemic lockdown

  • The government will meet its target to offer a vaccine to all over-50s by mid-April and all adults by end of July, the PM tells Covid briefing

  • A "fitting and permanent memorial to the loved ones we've lost" will be built when the right moment comes, he says

  • He hopes to be able to detail more on the possibilities for foreign travel by 5 April

  • England's chief medical officer Chris Whitty warns of "bumps and twists on the road" such as vaccine shortages and new variants

  • A minute's silence was held at midday to remember the victims of Covid-19

  • The Queen sent flowers to a London hospital where Prince Philip was treated recently with a message saying it is a day to "reflect on the grief and loss"

  • Weekly coronavirus death figures in England and Wales are at their lowest since October, national statistics show

  • But across the pandemic, there have been 148,125 deaths in the UK where Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate; 126,284 within 28 days of a positive test

  1. Will the UK share vaccines being produced in the EU?published at 17:52 Greenwich Mean Time 23 March 2021

    Emilio Casalicchio

    Emilio Casalicchio from Politico says the EU wants the UK to share vaccines made in a facility in the Netherlands. He asks if the UK will share these vaccines, or if they can afford to be shared.

    Boris Johnson says the UK and EU are "fighting the same" virus across the world. The vaccine has been created thanks to some "great co-operation" between scientific teams, he says. The UK doesn't believe in blockades, he states, of vaccines or of vaccine material.

    Sir Patrick Vallance says it is a "miracle" that the world has vaccines. "This is something that is only going to be sorted out when everybody is sorted out," he says.

    Professor Chris Whitty says vaccines require input from multiple countries, "this should be seen as an international issue," he adds.

    With that, Boris Johnson calls the press conference to an end.

  2. PM: Comparing UK with other countries is 'premature'published at 17:50 Greenwich Mean Time 23 March 2021

    Dominic Yeatman

    Dominic Yeatman from the Metro asks how, in the future, the government will explain why the UK suffered the highest death toll in Europe and deepest recession.

    Boris Johnson says the pandemic is "not over yet" and international comparisons are premature at this stage.

    The journalist also says that people owning holiday homes abroad are exempt from the travel ban. Would he advise people to buy a second home if they want a holiday?

    Johnson does not answer that question directly but says that he knows there's a great deal of curiosity about holidays - but it is "just too early to say" if they will be allowed this year.

    "My advice is for everybody to wait" for the government's global travel taskforce to report back on the issue.

    He suggests there could be an announcement about holidays in the coming days, saying: "I certainly hope to be saying more by 5 April."

    The experts are also asked by the same journalist about the role that the new variant played in the second wave.

    Prof Whitty says the majority of people who died in the second half of the second wave had the new variant of Covid.

    "Working out what would have happened had the new variant not arrived is really difficult to do," he says.

    But he says "the height of the peak would have undoubtedly been a lot lower" had that new more transmissable variant not arrived.

  3. Will Covid be eradicated?published at 17:42 Greenwich Mean Time 23 March 2021

    Ben Riley-Smith from the Telegraph asks if the UK government's policy objective should be to eradicate Covid, or for cases to be kept at the lowest possible levels.

    Boris Johnson says he isn't sure "eradication makes sense for a globalised economy for one nation alone".

    Chris Whitty says the chances of eradicating Covid are "as close to zero as makes no difference". He says humans have only ever eradicated one disease, and that was smallpox.

    The UK has good vaccines, but they're not 100% effective, and not everyone who should get a test to check if they are positive does get one, he adds.

    He says it is not "realistic" at this point in time to aim for Covid to be entirely removed from the UK.

    Sir Patrick Vallance echoes Chris Whitty and says the chances of "true eradication" are "close to zero".

  4. Analysis: 'We wish we had known more from the start'published at 17:39 Greenwich Mean Time 23 March 2021

    Jessica Parker
    BBC political correspondent

    Anniversaries can prompt reflection.

    And reflection can, for some, prompt questions.

    All three men at today’s press conference were asked what they wish they’d done differently.

    And while their answers varied, they varied on a theme of… we wish we had known more at the onset of the crisis.

    It’s not an admission of mistakes based on judgement alone but rather an admission of mistakes based on not having enough information at the time.

    There may be different views about how productive these kinds of conversations are at this stage.

    Nevertheless, the questions will continue including, in the future, whenever the promised inquiry takes place.

  5. PM: Education is the biggest legacy issue we must focus onpublished at 17:37 Greenwich Mean Time 23 March 2021

    Beth Rigby

    Sky News journalist Beth Rigby asks what they think the main social, health and economic challenges will be - and will we be grappling with the legacy of Covid for the rest of our lives?

    Boris Johnson says he thinks we will still all remember and be dealing with the pandemic in different ways for probably, "certainly in my case, for as long as I live".

    He says it's been "deeply distressing" period.

    He mentions the threat of the third wave in Europe spreading to the UK, and says the extent to which it affects us will depend on the strength of the "fortifications we've built against" it by the vaccine programme.

    But he says on the legacy issue, the main thing for him is education. "It's the loss of learning for so many children and young people. That's the thing we've got to focus on now as a society."

    Johnson says it has been calculated that 90,000 more children will now be behind in their basic literacy because of Covid.

    "And of course the detriment falls the hardest on the kids who needed attention the most."

    He says it's been an "absolutely unimaginable year" for schoolchildren and university students. "Our future as a country depends on us now repaying that generation."

    On the health legacy of the pandemic, Prof Chris Whitty says he estimates Covid will be with us "for the forseeable future".

    He talks about the impact on the health service - for example people who have not been screened for cancer and may have delayed diagnoses.

    Prof Whitty adds that people affected by Covid are the same people who are suffering from other diseases "of deprivation" - so the pandemic has shone a light on health.

  6. Does the PM regret not locking down earlier?published at 17:28 Greenwich Mean Time 23 March 2021

    Daniel Hewitt of ITV asks if the PM regrets not locking down the country sooner both in spring and in the autumn of 2020.

    Boris Johnson says "these are very, very hard decisions and there are no good outcomes either way... all these consequences are very, very tough". He adds that decisions were made with the wellbeing of the British people at "the forefront of our hearts".

    He says it is important lessons are learned for future events like this.

  7. PM: Our biggest false assumption was about asymptomatic spreadpublished at 17:25 Greenwich Mean Time 23 March 2021

    Laura Kuenssberg

    The BBC's Laura Kuenssberg asks the PM and two experts what one thing they wish they had done differently.

    Johnson replies: "In retrospect, there are probably many things that we wish that we'd known or many things that we wish we had done differently at the time in retrospect, because we were fighting a novel disease under very different circumstances than any previous government had imagined."

    He says perhaps the single biggest "false assumption that we made, was about the potential for asymptomatic transmission".

    He says "that misunderstanding about the reality of asymptomatic transmission certainly led to real problems that we then really had to work very, very hard to make up ground".

    He adds: "We've been learning the whole time and we're continuing to learn".

    "I just wish we knew then what we know now," adds Sir Patrick.

    But he says the one thing that would have been important early on would be to have "much better data on what was happening" - which would have required getting testing up and running.

    We simply didn't have the monitoring then, and couldn't make decisions on the real-time data, he says.

    Prof Whitty says he agrees but adds that it wasn't until people started going into hospital and dying that there was a "better fix" on how fast things were moving.

    He says that they had less of an understanding of how widespread the virus was in Europe and in retrospect we now know about the importation of the virus from Spain, Italy and others.

  8. How long do Covid antibodies last?published at 17:18 Greenwich Mean Time 23 March 2021

    Sir Patrick Valance

    The second question from the public comes from Tim from Northampton.

    He says Covid antibodies only last a few months, so he asks if that means vulnerable groups will need to be vaccinated again before young people have been.

    Sir Patrick Vallance says the antibody response to those who've had Covid does last for six months, but the data beyond that is unclear. He says the assumption is that vaccination antibodies should also last for a roughly similar time.

    There's no indication yet, he says, that vaccine effects are "wavering" although there will most likely be a need for booster jabs in the autumn.

    Prof Whitty says if the virus changes a lot, there will be a need for re-vaccination.

  9. PM: We keep all measures at borders under reviewpublished at 17:16 Greenwich Mean Time 23 March 2021

    Sheila

    The first question comes from a member of the public, Sheila, who asks how the government is planning to stop the spread of a third wave from Europe. Will there be plans for lateral flow tests for lorry drivers entering the country, or making quarantine hotels for all travellers?

    The prime minister says we must be very wary of the potential for a third wave.

    "We are seeing distinct signs of a third wave on the continent," he says.

    We in the UK have very tough measures at our borders already, he says - including mandatory tests and a passenger locator form, plus the requirement to self isolate with fines for those who disobey.

    He also mentions the "red list" of countries, where arrivals must stay in a quarantine hotel.

    On lorry drivers and expanding quarantine hotels for all arrivals, Mr Johnson says we keep all these measures under review.

  10. Whitty: Covid hospitalisations coming down 'rapidly'published at 17:14 Greenwich Mean Time 23 March 2021

    Prof Chris Whitty

    England's chief medical officer Prof Chris Whitty says the rates of people falling ill with coronavirus is continuing to fall, and although it is "going down more slowly" this was expected, as children return to school.

    He says the number of people in hospital with coronavirus has come down "rapidly".

    Deaths registered after 28 days of a positive coronavirus test result have started to fall "much more rapidly", he adds.

    He says ONS data released today shows there have been 147,179 people who have "sadly died from Covid".

    There has been a "steady increase" in the number of people who have been vaccinated.

  11. PM: The whole population took part in this strugglepublished at 17:11 Greenwich Mean Time 23 March 2021

    Johnson says more than 28 million people have now had their first jab - with more than 30 million doses administered in total.

    He says he wants to thank everyone for their courage, discipline and patience.

    When people come to describe this pandemic, they will tell the story of the heroes, he says, mentioning some of the emergency service workers.

    "But in the end this was unlike any other struggle in my lifetime in that our entire population has been engaged," he says.

    "And it's thanks to all of you we can continue on our roadmap to freedom."

    He repeats the government's pledge that all adults will be offered a jab by the end of July.

  12. PM: Pandemic an 'epic of endurance and privation'published at 17:08 Greenwich Mean Time 23 March 2021

    Boris Johnson

    Boris Johnson begins the press conference by looking back to his announcement of the first coronavirus lockdown a year ago.

    "We did it, together," he says.

    He says it's been "an epic of endurance and privation", of children's birthday parties cancelled, weddings postponed and family gatherings deleted from the diary.

    He pays tribute to all those who have died, adding: "For so many people our grief has been made more acute because we have not been able to see our loved ones in our final days."

    He says one day the country will have a fitting and permanent memorial to everyone who had died.

    He compares the pandemic to "fighting in the dark against a callous and invisible enemy".

    And he renews his thanks to everyone responsible to help with the vaccine rollout, with more than 30 million doses given in total. He said it's been unlike any other struggle in his lifetime.

  13. PM begins Downing Street briefingpublished at 17:02 Greenwich Mean Time 23 March 2021

    Boris Johnson has started speaking at a Downing Street press briefing.

    Stay with us for live updates.

  14. 'It was difficult to imagine how we’d carry on'published at 16:56 Greenwich Mean Time 23 March 2021

    BBC Radio 5 Live

    The Centre of Life museum in Newcastle which is now running as a vaccination centre
    Image caption,

    The Centre of Life museum in Newcastle which is now running as a vaccination centre

    BBC Radio 5 Live has been broadcasting live from a vaccination centre in Newcastle, hearing how front-line workers are feeling on the anniversary of the first lockdown.

    Dr Sarah Platt is an ITU consultant and director of trauma at the Newcastle-Upon-Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which treated the UK’s first Covid patient.

    She says it was "a very strange experience to look after a huge number of people with the same disease".

    "There were days it felt overwhelming, certainly dark days and bad days where it was difficult to imagine how we’d carry on doing this," she says. "We’re very close now to intensive care looking and feeling like it did before Covid."

    Jeff Potts is a mortuary operations manager, a job he's been doing for 36 years. He usually deals with about 3,000 bodies per year, and estimates this has increased by almost 30% in the past 12 months.

    He’s had to adapt his facilities, to allow for more storage.

    "It’s been quite remarkable really in so many horrible ways. It’s been difficult and trying at times, we've learned to build communications with fellow professionals and build responses to cope with what we have to deal with," he says.

    Jeff thinks the hardest part has been dealing with families.

    "Sometimes, no matter what you say to families, sometimes the best thing you can offer a family is a hug, and we’ve been unable to do that, that’s really counter-intuitive to all of us."

    Listen to 5 Live on the BBC Sounds app.

  15. How big is vaccine hesitancy among care staff?published at 16:49 Greenwich Mean Time 23 March 2021

    Reality Check

    Care staff being vaccinatedImage source, Getty Images

    Health Secretary Matt Hancock was asked today about reports that the government is considering making vaccination mandatory for care home staff in England.

    He said it was “looking at the question of whether in order to be able to care for people professionally, then you ought to have protected yourself so that you can’t infect others”.

    There has been concern at levels of vaccine hesitancy among care home workers.

    Currently, an estimated 76% of eligible care home staff in England have had the vaccine up to 14 March, according to NHS England.

    This is compared with an estimated:

    • 97% of healthcare staff
    • 90% of clinically extremely vulnerable individuals
    • 97% of the over-70s.

    Vaccine hesitancy appears to be higher in London - for example, just 45% of eligible care home staff in Lambeth have had a first dose of vaccine.

    But in Scotland, the government estimates that almost all staff have had the vaccine.

    Forcing staff to get vaccinated would be difficult, especially if it isn’t in their contracts, so it would probably require a change in the law.

    Find out more about where vaccines could be required in the future.

  16. Looking back on a year of pandemic rule-breakingpublished at 16:38 Greenwich Mean Time 23 March 2021

    Media caption,

    A mass snowball fight in Leeds in January when large gatherings were banned

    From Dracula fans making a detour for a glimpse of a ruined abbey to bird watchers chasing a rare sighting, thousands of Covid fines have been issued since the pandemic began.

    Formerly everyday activities such as throwing a party, meeting friends indoors or travelling to other towns for food have all been the subject of Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) at times since March 2020.

    While the vast majority of people have complied with the rules, there have been people who broke them.

    In all, almost 70,000 FPNs were issued in England and Wales up to 14 February 2021, according to the National Police Chiefs' Council.

    Remember the two women whose £200 fines were quashed after they drove five miles to take a walk? Or the two men each fined £10,000 for organising a mass snowball fight?

    Here's a look at just a few examples of rule-breaking which have landed the people involved in hot water.

  17. PM to give Downing Street briefingpublished at 16:30 Greenwich Mean Time 23 March 2021

    We are going to be turning our attentions to a Downing Street press briefing at 17:00.

    Boris Johnson will be joined by chief medical adviser Professor Chris Whitty and chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance, No 10 has said.

    We are expecting the PM to reflect on the anniversary of the UK's first lockdown and the significance of the deaths figures falling below the five year average for the first time since August.

    There could also be questions around some of this week's most speculated topics such as vaccine supply and summer holidays abroad.

  18. Norway police question PM over Covid-19 breachpublished at 16:21 Greenwich Mean Time 23 March 2021

    Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg visits Nato troops in Pabrade, LithuaniaImage source, Reuters
    Image caption,

    Prime Minister Erna Solberg admitted breaching Covid-19 rules last month

    Norwegian police have begun questioning Prime Minister Erna Solberg after she admitted breaching the country’s coronavirus regulations during a birthday trip.

    “We have started an investigation and part of this involves questioning the prime minister,” police inspector Per Morten Sending told Reuters news agency.

    He said the interrogation had not yet finished, but police aimed to conclude the investigation this week.

    A breach of social-distancing rules can be punishable by a fine in Norway.

    The prime minister was joined by 13 other people for her 60th birthday meal at a restaurant in the ski resort of Geilo at the end of February.

    Events attended by more than 10 people are banned in Norway to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

    Solberg has apologised for her actions, telling reporters on Friday last week she believed the restaurant trip was “in line with coronavirus guidelines”.

    “It was at a restaurant where we booked three separate tables and where we kept our distance,” Solberg said. “I can only apologise for the fact that we did not comprehend that this, as defined by the law, was an event.”

  19. What's happening in the UK and beyond?published at 16:13 Greenwich Mean Time 23 March 2021

    Flowers outside St Thomas' hospital in central LondonImage source, PA Media
    Image caption,

    Flowers were laid outside St Thomas' hospital in central London

    We are going to be hearing from the prime minister at a Downing Street briefing in the next hour. Before we do, let's have a recap of the stories we've been covering.

    • A minute's silence has been held to remember the victims of Covid-19 on the first anniversary of lockdown being called in the UK
    • The Queen spoke of the country's "grief and loss" while the PM praised "the great spirit shown by our nation"
    • People are being encouraged to stand on their doorsteps with lights at 20:00 GMT, to make a "beacon of light"
    • Deaths in the UK have fallen below the five-year average for the first time since the summer, according to the Office for National Statistics
    • A £5,000 fine for anyone in England trying to travel abroad without good reason is due to come into force next week
    • US officials have complained that results on the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, published yesterday, included “outdated” information
    • But AstraZeneca says this was an initial analysis, based on data up to an agreed cut-off date of 17 February, and it would share further analysis within 48 hours
    • Downing Street has insisted the roadmap to easing the lockdown remains "on course" despite Boris Johnson warning yesterday that Europe's third wave of coronavirus infections could "wash up on our shores"

  20. UK records 112 Covid deathspublished at 16:07 Greenwich Mean Time 23 March 2021
    Breaking

    A further 112 people have died with coronavirus in the UK, the government's daily statistics show., external

    This brings the total number of deaths within 28 days of a positive Covid-19 test to 126,284.

    There were also a further 5,379 new cases recorded.

    A total of 28,327,873 people have received their first dose of a coronavirus vaccine in the UK. And another 2,363,684 people have had their second dose as well.