Boris Johnson warned by SAGE there would be 91,000 extra deaths if curbs were scrapped in April

Plans to lift England's third national lockdown earlier were effectively scrapped after grim forecasts from No10's top scientists warned that drastically easing restrictions at Easter would cause tens of thousands more deaths.

Under one blueprint said to have been drawn up earlier this month, shops, beer gardens and outdoor attractions would have been allowed to reopen by the end of March. But the Daily Telegraph claimed ministers were spooked by modelling from 'Professor Lockdown' Neil Ferguson and colleagues at Imperial College London, who estimated the timetable could result in an extra 55,000 deaths.

Releasing their modelling of a series of different roadmaps out of lockdown, SAGE warned there would be at least another 30,000 Covid deaths even in the 'most optimistic' scenario. This is because vaccines are not perfect and uptake will never be 100 per cent, meaning millions of vulnerable people will still be unprotected.

And the group said that if all restrictions were lifted completely at the end of April there would be a dramatic spike in cases that could see around 91,000 further deaths. In a worst-case scenario, the additional death toll could reach almost 150,000.

No10's scientific advisers insisted that without a gradual route back to normality, the pressure on NHS hospitals would peak in June at nearly 60,000 coronavirus inpatients – higher than even last month's peak of nearly 40,000.

Despite SAGE reportedly pushing back on re-opening in time for Easter, one of their models opened the door for limited indoor mixing ahead of April 4. Allowing people to invite one person into their homes as early as March 29 — and opting to wait until later in the summer to ease all restrictions — would have kept hospital bed occupancy at the lowest levels they are likely to reach in an inevitable third wave.

Ministers did not opt for any of the oven-ready scenarios modelled by experts at Imperial and Warwick University. Instead, the Government created a hybrid version that brings forward some relaxations and pushes others back, meaning England has to wait at least 118 days to be free of all restrictions.

Under Boris Johnson's four-point roadmap, schools in England will reopen from March 8 - though the next stage of loosening will not be until March 29, when the formal Stay at Home edict is finally dropped in favour of 'Stay Local', and the Rule of Six makes a comeback. It will be extended to allow two households to gather, enabling relatives to meet properly for the first time in months.

But shops, hairdressers and pubs must remain closed until April 12 at the earliest - the same time gyms can get back up and running - regardless of mounting fears about the economic meltdown.

Campsites and holiday lets can reopen for single households from April 12 - but international travel is completely off the cards until at least May 17. Social distancing rules will stay in force until June 21 at the minimum, with a government review to decide their future after that.

Sports can start to return from May 17, although venues will need to work on reduced capacities. Up to 30 people can go to weddings from the same date, but are stuck at that number until the next phase of the roadmap.

Only at June 21 will all legal limits on social contact go, and the remaining elements of the hospitality sector be allowed to open. The PM stressed that he is being driven by 'data not dates' and the timeline is not guaranteed.

Credit: Read more from dailymail.co.uk