2.20pm on 27 January
Schools in England will not be able to reopen before March
Schools in England will not be able to open after the half-term break next month, but they could begin to return from 08 March according to the Prime Minister. Boris Johnson said a final decision would depend on meeting vaccination targets and schools would get two weeks’ notice.
He acknowledged it would be “frustrating” for pupils, teachers and parents. There was no enough data yet to decide when to end the lockdown, he added.
Mr Johnson told the House of Commons he hoped other lockdown restrictions could begin to be gradually eased at some point after schools reopen, but pupils returning to class would be the “first sign of normality”.
In the week of 22 February, the government would have more information on whether vaccines block transmission and how the vaccine will reduce hospitalisations and deaths, he said, allowing them to plan for the “gradual and phased” reopening.
5.30pm on 26 January
Boris Johnson announces that UK COVID-19 deaths have passed 100,000
The number of deaths of people who had had a positive test result for COVID-19 and died within 28 days of the first positive test has passed the 100,000 mark. This comes as published government figures show that, sadly, a further 1,631 people in the last 24 hours. The highest daily recorded daily reported death was 1,820 on 20 January.
The cumulative number of deaths by the above measure in Oxfordshire is 583. Using data from the Office for National Statistics, the County Council has reported a total of 784 COVID-19 deaths in Oxfordshire up to 15 January 2021.
Speaking at a Downing Street Briefing on Tuesday, the Prime Minister offered his “deepest condolences to everyone who’s lost a loved one.” He pledged that after the crisis “we will come together as a nation to remember everyone that we lost, and to honour the selfless heroism of all those on the frontline. He added we will “learn the lessons and prepare” for any future pandemics.
In terms of vaccinations, nearly 7 million people have received a vaccination for COVID-19. The vaccination programme began on 8 December 2020 with people receiving the vaccine developed by Pfizer/BioNTech, and people started getting the Oxford University/AstraZeneca vaccine from 04 January 2021.
The weekly 7-day rolling average rate of confirmed cases is 315.3 per 100,000 population in Oxfordshire as at 21 January 2021. The equivalent rate across England is 403.9 per 100,000 population.
