BORIS Johnson has warned the UK is still in a 'pretty precarious' position as ministers prepare for the easing of lockdown restrictions from early March.

The Prime Minister said the process would be gradual, with no great 'open sesame' moment when curbs on freedoms are suddenly lifted.

He said decisions on loosening England’s stay-home order will be made based on progress in the vaccination programme, which had been 'very encouraging' despite concerns that some parts of the nation are falling behind.

More than four million people in the UK have received a first coronavirus vaccine dose.

The Government is on track to vaccinate around 15 million high-priority people across the UK by February 15, including health and social care staff, the elderly and people in care homes.

Once those vaccines have taken effect, around two to three weeks later ministers will consider whether lockdown measures can be eased.

Mr Johnson, on a visit to the manufacturing facility for the Oxford/Astrazeneca vaccine today, said: “I understand completely that people want to get back to normal as fast as we possibly can. It does depend on things going well.

“It depends on the vaccination programme going well, it depends on there being no new variants that throw our plans out and we have to mitigate against, and it depends on everybody, all of us, remembering that we’re not out of the woods yet.”

Mid-February would be the time to take stock of the situation, he said.

“It’s only really then that we can talk about the way ahead and what steps we can take to relax.

“I’m afraid I’ve got to warn people it will be gradual, you can’t just open up in a great open sesame, in a great bang, because I’m afraid the situation is still pretty precarious.”

Mr Johnson suggested 'things will be very different by the spring' and claimed the UK would be capable of a 'very powerful economic recovery' as it emerges from the crisis.

Progress in the vaccination effort came with hospitals still under intense pressure.

Earlier today Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (OUH) announced it would be cancelling all non-urgent surgery as ICU beds fill up. 

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