The United Kingdom To Remove COVID-19 Restrictions Cautiously

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday said that his government will be "very prudent" in easing epidemiological restrictions.

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"We've got to be very prudent and what we want to see is progress that is cautious but irreversible," Johnson said on his plan for easing the current lockdown, which is expected to be announced on Feb. 22. "I think that's what the public and people up and down the country will want to see," he added.

Johnson also acknowledged that "too many people are dying" due to the pandemic and while rates of infections are "coming down" they remain "comparatively high".

The road-map exiting the lockdown is expected to include the earliest possible dates for reopening schools and different sectors of the economy, according to Johnson.

"If we possibly can, we'll be setting out dates," Johnson said. "The dates that we will be setting out will be the dates by which we hope we can do something at the earliest, if you see what I mean -- so it's the target date by which we hope to do something at the earliest."

"If, because of the rate of infection, we have to push something off a little bit to the right -- delay it for a little bit -- we won't hesitate to do that," he added.

Meanwhile, the first travelers required to stay at quarantine hotels in England have begun arriving at London's Heathrow Airport.

From Monday, Irish citizens and British residents who arrive in England after being in the "red list" of more than 30 high-risk countries now have to self-isolate in hotels. The "red list" countries include South Africa, Portugal, and South American nations.

As of Monday morning, the U.K. had reported 4,047,843 COVID-19 cases and 117,396 related deaths. Over 15 million people of the most vulnerable groups have received the first dose of a coronavirus jab.