Boris Johnson press conference - 8 things he could say

The press conference will take place at 5pm and the Prime Minster will be joined by medical advisors, No 10 has said.

The conference will be available on all major news channels including BBC News and Sky News, as well as live streams via YouTube and other social media channels.

Here is what he could talk about.

“Road map” confusion

Boris Johnson is likely to provide detail over the Government’s road map to ease the country out of lockdown.

The Prime Minister has previously stated that he will set out plans for a “road map” to lead the country out of a third lockdown.

In order to meet the Government’s promise of giving teachers, pupils and parents a fortnight to prepare for reopening, Mr Johnson will have to set out his plans on February 22.

But Downing Street would only commit to saying Mr Johnson will set out his road-map out of the lockdown that week – rather than specifically on the 22nd.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “We’ve been clear we will publish the roadmap on the week of the 22nd.

“We will set out the roadmap that week but you’ve got what we’ve said previously about trying to give schools as much notice as possible and we’ve said we’ll give at least two weeks.”

Lockdown update

The Prime Minister will likely address questions over how long lockdown could last after the Health Secretary said there is still “some way to go” before lockdown is eased.

Matt Hancock stressed on Monday that the Government is awaiting key data on how successfully vaccines reduce transmission after more than 15 million people across the UK received their first dose of a vaccine.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson hailed the achievement – just over two months after the vaccination programme delivered its first jab – as a “significant milestone” in the fight against the disease.

Mr Hancock told BBC Breakfast: “We are taking those decisions this week, so we will be looking at the data, looking at the success of the vaccine rollout and how far that has reached and its impact in terms of protecting people, looking at the number of cases and critically, looking at the number of people who are in hospital and the number of deaths – those two factors are vital.

“Right now, as of today, at the latest count there are still over 23,000 people in hospital with Covid – that’s more than in the April peak – so we’ve still got some way to go, but we are looking to set out that road map on Monday.”

Mr Johnson is seeking to take a more cautious approach to easing the restrictions to ensure that England’s third national lockdown is its last, with the re-opening of schools on March 8 the first priority.

Matt Hancock. (PA)

Hotel quarantines

Mr Johnson is likely to address questions over the rules concerning new travel rules.

Allowing travellers quarantining in hotels to leave their rooms for fresh air is “very risky”, an Australian epidemiologist has warned.

Professor Michael Toole, from the Burnet Institute in Melbourne, Victoria, said preventative measures in the state had focused on stopping the spread of coronavirus by large droplets.

But he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that the precautions – such as wearing surgical masks, keeping people in their room and using hand sanitiser – did not prevent airborne transmission.

Home Office minister Victoria Atkins said it is “reasonable” to allow travellers quarantining in hotels a “gulp of fresh air”, despite an epidemiologist warning it is “risky”.

She told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “We have to look at our own measures in our own country.

“The hotel will of course be adhering to all of the very strict measures that we have in place in relation to social distancing and face masks and so on.

“So I think allowing someone a gulp of fresh air… apart from anything else, we know that being outside is less likely to transmit than being inside.

“But I think allowing someone a gulp of fresh air during a 10-day visit in a hotel, with all the very strict measures that we have, I think is reasonable – but of course we will keep these measures under review.”

She added: “We are confident that the measures that we have in place, ready to go on Monday, are strong and that they will help to protect our country against any of these new variants that are being found.”

Ms Atkins added: “We are confident that the measures that we have in place, ready to go on Monday, are strong and that they will help to protect our country against any of these new variants that are being found.”

Travellers from countries on the banned list can only arrive into one of five airports in England.

Guidance states that anyone from one of those countries with a booking that brings them to a different “port of entry” from February 15 must change it to one of those specified.

The accepted entry points are: Heathrow Airport, Gatwick Airport, London City Airport, Birmingham Airport and Farnborough Airfield.

The published guidance states that leaving the room for exercise will only be allowed with special permission from hotel staff or security and is “not guaranteed”.

Travel testing issues

Boris Johnson will likely address issues over the new testing website for people entering the country.

There have been issues with people being able to book a test, an LBC radio listener said she is a UK citizen married to a US citizen and is due to return from the States on February 22 but has been unable to book a test.

Priti Patel has told people to “persevere” with the Government’s testing website.

The Home Secretary said on Friday: “I do understand there have been problems with the testing package website, which I think was launched yesterday.

“I’ve been told it was back up and running this morning so please persevere with this.

“This is a fresh website clearly.”

Vaccine rollout

Boris Johnson has hailed a “significant milestone” as the number of people in the UK receiving a coronavirus vaccine passed 15 million on Sunday.

The Prime Minister said it was an “extraordinary feat” just over two months after 91-year-old Margaret Keenan became the first person in the world to receive a Covid-19 jab as part of a mass vaccination programme.

It puts the Government firmly on course to meet it target of offering a first dose to everyone in the the UK in its top four priority groups – including all over-70s – by Monday.

Covid-19 vaccinations in the UK. (PA)

Update on coronavirus cases

Boris Johnson will almost certainly update the nation on infection rates across the country and provide detail to show how the NHS is dealing with the pressure.

As of Sunday, 10,972 new cases were discovered in the UK, thefigures show a decrease in infections compared to last Sunday, February 7, when the UK's official record of coronavirus cases showed a total of 15,845 new infections. 

Latest death figures

Mr Johnson is likely to provide an update on the latest Covid-19 death figures.

On Sunday the number of lives lost to Covid-19 in UK hospitals has risen by 331.

This tragic figure includes 301 deaths in England, four in Scotland, 15 in Wales and 11 in Northern Ireland.

Stay at home

The Prime Minister will almost certainly reiterate his message “stay home, protect the NHS, save lives”.

Despite preparations for the gradual easing of lockdown restrictions, the Government continue to ask the public to remain at home and help force down the rate of coronavirus cases in England.