28 Jan

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson says schools in England will remain closed until at least early March instead of reopening in mid-February as originally planned.

Johnson on Wednesday told Parliament that there was not enough data to decide when to end a lockdown.

He also said at a news conference that March 8 was the earliest that the government thinks "is sensible to set for schools to go back."

Schools in Britain currently offer remote lessons to most students as the country continues to face a severe situation with the spread of coronavirus variants.

Though the number of daily new infections is decreasing, the country reported over 1,700 coronavirus deaths on Wednesday. Total deaths from the pandemic have surpassed 100,000 in the country.

In its fight against the virus, the government is also stepping up efforts to vaccinate a wider population. It plans to give shots to 15 million people, including those over the age of 70, by mid-February.

The prime minister said he will monitor the impact of the vaccinations and reveal a roadmap for the gradual easing of the lockdown in late February.

nhk