London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Sunday, Sep 14, 2025

Pubs could be shut ‘till May’ as lockdown to last ‘until March 23’

Pubs could be shut ‘till May’ as lockdown to last ‘until March 23’

Pubs and restaurants could be shut for another four months as Boris Johnson looks at extending England’s national lockdown, it is reported.

The Prime Minister plunged the country into its third national shutdown on January 6 in response to surging coronavirus infections and hospital admissions across the UK.

Mr Johnson did not offer a concrete end date at the time, instead saying that the “prospect” of Britain’s mass vaccination programme could enable restrictions to be progressively eased from mid-February.

However, Number 10 officials currently view March 23 as a more realistic point at which restrictions can be lifted, according to the Sunday Times.

This would mark the one year anniversary of Mr Johnson’s first “stay at home” speech.


A source told the paper that thirsty Britons may have to wait even longer before returning to their local boozers.

They said: “The May Day bank holiday is more likely the moment you see pubs reopening.”

The reports come as a number of experts warn that the current lockdown measures do not go far enough, particularly in light of the more transmissible variant which has spread from across many parts of the country.

Susan Michie, a professor of health psychology at University College London who participates in Independent Sage, suggested a return to the tougher measures imposed during the first wave of the pandemic last spring.

She said avoiding further deaths would mean “absolutely having to get right back to where we were in March, unfortunately”.

Meanwhile, Professor Peter Horby, chairman of the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (Nervtag), said the new variant has made the situation “more risky” and that if the infection rate does not slow down then “we’re going to have to be even stricter”.

But Health Secretary Matt Hancock told the BBC’s Andrew Marr show on Sunday that he did not want to “speculate” on whether the Government would strengthen the current rules.

“The most important thing is that people stay at home and follow the rules that we have got,” he said.

“People need to not just follow the letter of the rules but follow the spirit as well and play their part.”

In a separate interview with Sky New’s Sophy Ridge on Sunday programme, Mr Hancock backed tougher enforcement of the new Covid laws by the nation’s police forces.

He said: “You might look at the rules and think ‘Well, it doesn’t matter too much if I just do this or do that’.

“But these rules are not there as boundaries to be pushed, they are the limit to what people should be doing.

“The police are right to take very seriously the rules we have brought in. We haven’t brought them in because we wanted to, we’ve brought them in because we had to.

“Every flexibility can be fatal.”


However, in what will be seen as a welcome boost to the prospect of lifting the restrictions, the Cabinet minister also said that the Government is on course to reach its target of 13 million people vaccinated by mid-February.

He said that 200,000 people are being inoculated per day, with the opening of seven mass vaccination centres this week likely to increase the rate of jabs.

One third of people over the age of 80 has now received a vaccination, he confirmed, while all adults are expected to be offered an injection by the autumn.

Mr Hancock told Sky News that the country is likely to see a joint vaccination programme in place for the “foreseeable” future.

“I think it’s highly likely that there will be a dual-vaccination programme for the foreseeable – this is the medium term – of flu and Covid,” he added.

Professor Adam Finn said the chair of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) had instructed members including himself to come up with a plan by the middle of February for the priority order of who should be vaccinated next.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
French Debt Downgrade Piles Pressure on Macron’s New Prime Minister
US and UK Near Tech, Nuclear and Whisky Deals Ahead of Trump Trip
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
Anesthesiologist Left Operation Mid-Surgery to Have Sex with Nurse
Tens of Thousands of Young Chinese Get Up Every Morning and Go to Work Where They Do Nothing
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
The German Owner of Politico Mathias Döpfner Eyes Further U.S. Media Expansion After Axel Springer Restructuring
Suspect Arrested: Utah Man in Custody for Charlie Kirk’s Fatal Shooting
In a politically motivated trial: Bolsonaro Sentenced to 27 Years for Plotting Coup After 2022 Defeat
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
ChatGPT CEO signals policy to alert authorities over suicidal youth after teen’s death
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
Starmer Establishes Economic ‘Budget Board’ to Centralise Policy and Rebuild Business Trust
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Brazilian police say ex-President Bolsonaro had planned to flee to Argentina seeking asylum
Trinidad Leader Applauds U.S. Naval Strike and Advocates Forceful Action Against Traffickers
Kim Jong Un Oversees Final Test of New High-Thrust Solid-Fuel Rocket Engine
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Supreme Court temporarily allows Trump to pause billions in foreign aid
Charlie Sheen says his father, Martin Sheen, turned him in to the police: 'The greatest betrayal possible'
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
Pig Heads Left Outside Multiple Paris Mosques in Outrage-Inducing Acts
Nvidia’s ‘Wow’ Factor Is Fading. The AI chip giant used to beat Wall Street expectations for earnings by a substantial margin. That trajectory is coming down to earth.
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
On the Anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s Death: Prince Harry Returns to Britain
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Murdoch Family Finalises $3.3 Billion Succession Pact, Ensuring Eldest Son’s Leadership
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Court Staff Cover Up Banksy Image of Judge Beating a Protester
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
Elon Musk Poised to Become First Trillionaire Under Ambitious Tesla Pay Plan
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
Burning the Minister’s House Helped Protesters to Win Justice: Prabowo Fires Finance Minister in Wake of Indonesia Protests
Brazil Braces for Fallout from Bolsonaro Trial by corrupted judge
The Country That Got Too Rich? Public Spending Dominates Norway Election
Nearly 40 Years Later: Nike Changes the Legendary Slogan Just Do It
×