All pupils in England will recall to school on March 8, the government has confirmed.

The plan to ease lockdown will consist of four steps the Prime Minister has confirmed.

The rule of six will return on March 29 along with outdoor sports.

Hairdressers, nail salons, libraries, outdoor attractions and outdoor hospitality venues such as beer gardens will not be allowed to reopen until April 12, the Government’s road map said.

By May 17 the government hopes to see the return of the rule of 6 indoors, indoor hospitality including pubs, gyms and outdoor sport, and allowing spectators to return to sport stadiums with 10,000 limit.

Nightclubs and any other remaining sectors will not return until June 21 at the very earliest with the hope for no more limits on social contact.

There is “no credible route to a zero-Covid Britain nor indeed a zero-Covid world”, Boris Johnson said as he admitted any lifting of lockdown restrictions would lead to more cases and deaths.

Boris Johnson said the road map will “guide us cautiously but irreversibly towards reclaiming our freedoms”.

Making a statement in the Commons on the Government’s road map out of lockdown, the Prime Minister said: “The threat remains substantial with the numbers in hospital only now beginning to fall below the peak of the first wave in April.

“But we are able to take these steps because of the resolve of the British people and the extraordinary success of our NHS in vaccinating more than 17.5 million people across the UK.”

Alongside the four-step plan, the Prime Minister launched a series of reviews – including on whether people should be able to show if they have had a Covid-19 vaccine or a negative test.

The work will look at whether “Covid status certification” could help reopen the economy by allowing people who have received a jab or a negative test result to do things which would not be allowed for those who could not prove their status.

Officials recognise that there are moral and ethical questions as well as practical ones for any such move, which has been highly controversial in Westminster.

A research programme will use pilot schemes involving testing and other measures to run events with larger crowd sizes.

International travel rules will also be reviewed, with May 17 targeted as the earliest possible date for a foreign holiday.

A further piece of work to conclude by June 21 will examine social distancing requirements – including hugs with friends and relatives – the use of face masks and requirements to work from home.

The measures are expected to be put to a Commons vote before the House rises for Easter in late March.