BORIS JOHNSON promised to come good for “generation lockdown” as he thanked Britain’s youth for “shouldering the burden” of the pandemic.
The PM vowed he wouldn’t let Britain’s youth down, and remains “determined” to ensure young people’s “prospects aren’t damaged” by Covid.
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He acknowledging the “immense sacrifice” made by youngsters whose lives have been turned “upside down” by the pandemic.
In an article for the Sunday Express, Mr Johnson thanked young people for putting up with “a virus that seldom poses a lethal threat to them”.
He said: “I am determined that their prospects should not be damaged by everything they have been through.
“They have shouldered this burden willingly and with great resilience – and they deserve the thanks of the nation.”
It comes as the PM pledged an extra £300million of “catch-up money” for every level of education – from early years to schools and colleges – on top of £1billion announced last year.
Continuing, the PM acknowledged the toll that the hardships of the coronavirus crisis have had on young people.
“The mental health and wellbeing of young people has, of course, suffered during the pandemic,” he added.
“The compassion and forbearance of the youth of Britain has made us all proud.”
It comes as Boris Johnson warned Saturday that it is “still early days” to start talking about opening up society reports suggested pubs could reopen in May.
The Prime Minister has committed to setting out a “road map” later this month for easing restrictions as he faces pressure from Conservative MPs to relax the current lockdown once the most vulnerable have been vaccinated.
Downing Street confirmed on Friday that the vaccine programme planned to reach all those aged 50 and over, as well as adults aged 16-65 in an at-risk group, by May.
Meanwhile, Mr Johnson recently announced schools cannot reopen before March 8.
The PM said he “understands people want to go further” and get back to normal as quickly as possible – and insisted: “I share that urgency.”
But he vowed not to open schools too soon to avoid the risk of the nation being “forced into reverse” in case coronavirus infections start to rise once again.
The PM added: “This is the cautious approach, it’s much better to stick to that.”
