LONDON: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson vowed Saturday to stick with his planned unwinding of a coronavirus lockdown, relishing the prospect of a pint and a haircut even as scientists warn of new variants.
Launching his Conservative party's campaign for local elections in May, Johnson said his government's mass vaccination drive and pro-business policies would hasten economic recovery, "jab by jab, job by job".
Wales became the first UK nation to lift travel restrictions on Saturday, since the latest round of curbs took hold to combat a deadly second wave of Covid-19 over winter.
From Monday, England's stay-at-home order will also be relaxed to enable groups of up to six people to meet outside. The government plans to allow outdoors drinking in pub gardens, and non-essential retail such as hairdressers, from April 12.
Johnson conceded that a third wave of Covid-19 was sweeping Europe and could well hit Britain in about three weeks.
But the "key difference" to last year was that any rise in infections and hospitalisations should be "sufficiently mitigated" by the vaccine rollout.
"And as things stand, I can see absolutely nothing in the data to dissuade me from continuing along our roadmap to freedom, unlocking our economy and getting back to the life we love," he told a virtual Conservative event.
The mop-haired prime minister added: "In just a few days' time, I'm finally going to be able to go to the barbers.
"But more important than that, I'm going to be able to go down the street and cautiously, but irreversibly, I'm going to drink a pint of beer in the pub."
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