Boris Johnson will host a Downing Street coronavirus press conference at 5pm on Wednesday afternoon, No.10 has announced.

It comes after the prime minister told MPs the country was “going to have to get used to the idea of vaccinating and revaccinating in the autumn as we come to face these new variants”.

Over 12.6m people in the UK have now received their first dose of a coronavirus vaccine.

The government has said it is on target to meet its pledge to offer the vaccine to the most vulnerable 15m people by Monday, before moving on to offer it to the over-50′s by the end of April.

On February 22, Johnson is set to unveil his plan for lifting lockdown restrictions.

But Grant Shapps, the transport secretary, has warned it is “too soon” for people to book a holiday.

He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that “people shouldn’t be booking holidays right now — not domestically or internationally”.

The government has also been forced to defend plans for prison sentences of up to 10 years for returning travellers who try to evade strict coronavirus quarantine rules.

On Tuesday, Matt Hancock announced people returning to England from 33 “red list” destinations would have to pay £1,750 to quarantine for 10 days in Government-designated hotels.

The health secretary said those caught lying about their movements could be fined £10,000 or jailed for 10 years.

 

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