Boris Johnson preparing to ditch 'Stay at Home' slogan again

(left to right) Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty, Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Chief Executive of the National Health Service in England, Sir Simon Stevens - Credit: PA

Prime minister Boris Johnson is preparing to ditch the government’s “stay at home” messaging as reports suggest he will relax England’s lockdown restrictions next month.

Officials are looking to drop the “stay at home, protect the NHS, save lives” messaging as the country moves away from lockdown restrictions.

Despite telling the public to take reports with a “pinch of salt”, Johnson’s “road map” will reportedly encourage small outdoor gatherings and even sporting events as soon as March 8.

Students could also return to the classrooms on this date – following a drop in transmission rates.

Last April the government decided to drop the original “Stay at Home” messaging as the government insisted it was focused on preventing a second peak in deaths and cases.

At the latest Downing Street press conference Johnson claimed that no decisions had been taken ahead of detailing his “road map” on February 22, urging people to take any speculation with a “pinch of salt”.

“We want this lockdown to be the last. And we want progress to be cautious but also irreversible,” he said.

“I’m very hopeful that we’ll be able to go ahead and open things up, but to say I can give an absolute cast-iron guarantee that we won’t face further difficulties and have to think harder and deeper about some problems, no at this stage I can’t,” he added.