Prime Minister Boris Johnson signalled that he will take a cautious approach to easing restrictions in an attempt to make it the last national lockdown to combat the coronavirus pandemic – and readers of The Mail have had their say.

The Prime Minister said the "far more sensible approach" is to reopen "safely and cautiously", starting with schools, to prevent a rapid resurgence of infection rates.

Maggie Pease said: "My friend is in hospital with covid...she doesn't go out..caught it from her mum who caught it from family, very poorly on oxygen...we need the rules enforcing not relaxing..."

Greg Rose said: "If he was cautious in the first place we probably wouldn't be in a third lockdown, but people still support."

Anne Walker said: "Good grief Boris don’t relax the rules just yet, we don’t want another lock down."

Misty Cat said: "If they start relaxing the rules too soon, I fear that we'll end up locked in our houses completely with the Army delivering food parcels once a week by March. Or maybe that's what's needed now to knock it on it's head."

Alex Rayment said: "Why relax the rules if you immediately then have to strengthen them again? We have had 12 months of the coronavirus now, horrific covid deaths, three national lockdowns and endless restrictions, every time that the cases go down the government eases the restrictions, ensuring the next lockdown."

Getting The Balance said: "I want to go back to work. I have had enough and I think it's doing more damage the way things are now."