All adults aged 50 and over will have had a coronavirus vaccine by May, the Cabinet Office have said this morning.
“The UK’s vaccination programme is planned to have reached all nine priority cohorts by May,” the Cabinet Office said in an announcement permitting local elections to take place on May 6th.
Previously the government has declined to give a firm date, saying only that all over-50s would likely receive their first dose of a vaccine by the spring.
Councils are being given an extra £50m to make sure that the local elections go ahead.
Voters will be asked to bring their own pens or pencils to fill in their ballot papers, while the wearing of face coverings will be made compulsory in polling stations.
An Electoral Commission spokesman said: “Safety measures, such as face coverings, hand sanitiser and social distancing, will be in place to make polling stations safe places to vote and to work, and we are sharing information with voters so they understand the voting options available to them.
“We are supporting administrators in their complex and important work to prepare for and deliver the polls, and we will continue to update our guidance for parties, campaigners and electoral administrators as needed in order to reflect the latest public health advice and any legislative changes.”
