As we eagerly await news of the next phase of lockdown restrictions, with a roadmap back into the world, Boris Johnson has confirmed that the lockdown will be lifted “in stages” with the need to move “cautiously” out of restrictions.

We’ll get more news from the Prime Minister, and no doubt details from the Welsh Government plans, on Monday. But it appears schools may be the first thing to reopen.

Mr Johnson was in Cwmbran this morning on a visit to a mass vaccination centre. While he was there he told reporters……

“I certainly think that we need to go in stages. We need to go cautiously.

I know there’s a lot of understandable speculation in the papers and people coming up with theories about what we’re going to do, what we’re going to say, and about the rates of infection, and so on.

I would just advise everybody just wait, we’ll try and say as much as we can on that.”

Mr Johnson was full of praise for the incredible work the Cwmbran team have done…..

“It’s great to be here in Cwmbran and see, I think, 46,000 vaccinations they’ve done in this centre – a really outstanding achievement.

As the song goes: I’ve been all around the world from Malaysia to Japan, I’ve never found a place with vaccines like Cwmbran. How about that?

“It just seems to be going incredibly well here, and there’s a real spirit of pride and people really working hard, and people coming forward to get the vaccine because they know that that’s the right thing for themselves, their families and the whole community.”

Talking about the roadmap schedule we’ll find out about at the start of next week…….

“We’ll be setting out what we can on Monday about the way ahead and it’ll be based firmly on a cautious and prudent approach to coming out of lockdown in such a way to be irreversible.

We want to be going one way from now on, based on the incredible vaccination rollout that you’re seeing in Cwmbran.”

As for the prospects of bars and restaurants reopening soon……

“You have to remember from last year that we opened up hospitality fully as one of the last things that we did because there is obviously an extra risk of transmission from hospitality.

“The vaccine programme is brilliant, but there needs to be light at the end of the tunnel. With the success of the scheme, which looks like continuing, July seems way too late for leisure and tourism.”

The UK Government is planning on unveiling its roadmap out of lockdown on Monday and will reveal the earliest dates for when sectors can reopen.