Vast majority' of vulnerable people could be vaccinated by Easter, PM says Boris Johnson said the “vast majority” of vulnerable people who need a Covid-19 vaccine the most could be vaccinated by Easter.

With a favourable wind, we should be able to inoculate - I believe, on the evidence I’m seeing - the vast majority of the people who need the most protection by Easter. That will make a very substantial change to where we are at.

Boris Johnson has set out a three-tier system of Covid restrictions for England to run until spring, saying that rules in many areas will be tougher than before the lockdown but imploring the public to make what he called “one final push” before the expected arrival of vaccines and mass testing.

Announcing the Covid Winter Plan to parliament, the prime minister said it would include an easing in some areas, such as reopening shops and gyms and letting crowds return to sporting events, but with tougher rules on pubs and restaurants.

The new regime, outlined in a 56-page document, expires at the end of March and puts areas in England into one of three tiers once the four-week national lockdown across England ends on 2 December.

While the three-tier system is broadly the same as before the lockdown, Johnson said restrictions in many areas would be tougher.

“I’m sorry to say that we expect more regions will fall, at least temporarily, into higher levels than before,” he told the Commons. “But, by using these tougher tiers and by using rapid-turnaround tests on an ever greater scale to drive [the R number] below one and keep it there, it should be possible for areas to move down the tiering scale.”

Under the plan, non-essential shops in all areas can reopen, as can gyms, hairdressers and other personal care businesses, with the formal instruction to stay at home coming to an end. The “rule of six” will again apply for outdoor gatherings.

In tier 1, the rule of six will be the same both indoors and outdoors, allowing people from across households to see each other indoors. In tiers 2 and 3, such meetings will only be allowed outdoors, and in the top tier, this can only happen in parks or public gardens. In the two higher levels, no household mixing will be permitted inside, beyond the expected relaxation of rules over Christmas.