With Wales ending its stay-at-home order yesterday, first minister Mark Drakeford was asked by the BBC whether this was the last lockdown.

“I’m afraid I don’t think anybody responsible in my position will be able to do that any time soon,” he told Andrew Marr.

“We see what’s happening in the continent of Europe, we know about the new variants that are being discovered around the globe.

“There’s a job of work still needs to be done in making sure that coronavirus is genuinely in the rear view mirror.”

Here are Boris Johnson’s most recent comments on lockdown, made at the Tory spring forum yesterday.

“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,” Mr Johnson said.

“I think the second half of the year will have the potential to be really fantastic, but it depends on things still going right,” he added. “The question is, is it going to be, this time, as bad it has been in the past? Or have we sufficiently mitigated, muffled, blunted impact by the vaccine rollout?

“That’s a question we still don’t really know the answer to.”

Asked whether the UK could be given a bank holiday – a “national hangover day” – once the pandemic subsides, Mr Johnson appeared to duck the plea, and drew accusations of being “cavalier” when he replied: “The general view is people have had quite a few days off, and it wouldn’t be a bad thing for people to see their way round to making a passing stab at getting back into the office.”

The deputy chair of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has urged vaccinated people to “stick to the rules”, with evidence suggesting that jabs reduce transmission by about 50 per cent.

“There’s some good evidence now from Public Health England and from the Oxford/AstraZeneca trials that the vaccines do prevent transmission,” Professor Anthony Harnden told BBC Breakfast.

“But they don’t completely prevent transmission.”

“So, there will be some reduction in transmission, no doubt at all, but it’s still possible, even though you’ve been vaccinated, to get infected, have no symptoms and transmit it to others,” he added. “That’s why it’s important that all those who get vaccinated still stick to the rules.”

Asked about the prospect of so-called vaccine passports for pubs and restaurants in Wales, first minister Mark Drakeford told the BBC: “[I’m] prepared to go on considering this on a four nation basis.

“I think there are definitely prizes to be won through domestic vaccine certification, but there are still some very big practical and ethical challenges to face as well.

“What about those people who can’t be vaccinated, because their health conditions don’t allow that to happen. What would happen to them?”

He added: “Now I don’t say that those problems can’t be solved, but I am saying that we’ve got to work together to make sure that if we are to introduce such a system, it has to be fair, and it has to be reliable.”

A minister has said the UK does not “currently have a surplus” of coronavirus vaccines, following a Sunday Times report suggesting that 3.7 million jabs could be sent to the Republic of Ireland, in part to help lift the lockdown in Northern Ireland.

Asked about the report by Sky News, Oliver Dowden said: “Clearly, our first priority is ensuring we deliver vaccines in the United Kingdom.

“We clearly don’t currently have a surplus of vaccines, should we get to the point where we have a surplus of vaccines we’d make decisions on the allocation of that surplus.”

The paper reported that relevant ministers have had “outline discussions” about the alleged plan, which could be seen as disrupting EU unity, with a cabinet source reported as saying: “Everyone can see the logic of it. It’s good politics, while at the same time solving a genuine public health concern in Northern Ireland.

“It is a balancing act, making sure that we have enough vaccines to give the UK’s adult population the second dose. Easter will be when we might be able to start offering vaccines to Ireland.”

A group of leading charities has called on the government to “swiftly clarify” the details of its pledge to share “the majority of any future surplus” vaccines with future nations through the UN-backed Covax scheme, “when these are available”.

African countries have received just 16 million doses for a population of 1.2 billion people, while the UK has now jabbed nearly 30 million – and in a letter, the charities say the nation is on course for an excess of 100 million surplus doses.

“There is therefore the high risk that the UK will be hoarding limited supply whilst health workers and the most vulnerable in low and middle-income countries do not have access,” the letter from charities including Save the Children and the Wellcome Trust says.

“The UK will be sitting on enough surplus vaccine doses to vaccinate the world’s frontline health workers twice over.”

The culture secretary has insisted the government will honour its pledge for everyone to get a second dose of a coronavirus vaccine within 12 weeks of their first.

Asked if he can guarantee everyone the pledge will be met, Oliver Dowden told Sky’s Sophy Ridge on Sunday: “Yes, of course, we’ve been planning that all the way through. It’s one of the most important considerations as we’ve rolled out the vaccine.

“In all of our planning we have factored in getting that second dose of the vaccine.”

He also suggested Moderna vaccines could arrive in the UK “later this month”.

For those wondering what your holiday prospects look like from tomorrow, our travel desk has this comprehensive explainer.

Their conclusion is: avoid frivolous travel: whatever the law allows you to do, you should consider the effects of your actions, which means not making journeys for the sake of it.

But conversely after 12 weeks of venturing no further than you can walk from my front door, it may be that you regard a 50-mile trip from Manchester to Blackpool or from London to Brighton as a much-needed break.

Here are the comments from NHS England national medical director Professor Stephen Powis ahead of Monday’s planned easing of restrictions.

Writing in The Sunday Telegraph, he said the prospects “look immeasurably brighter and more positive” but said that the easing “does not mean job done”.

“We’ve made enormous progress that we need to build on and not squander the gains we’ve made.

“We need to hold our nerve and drive for the line, so everyone can get back safely and soon to our normal lives.”

Good morning, and welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of the coronavirus pandemic, as England prepares for lockdown rules to ease.