This time is (maybe) the last.
In any case, this is what British Prime Minister Boris Johnson hopes for, who presents his plan this Monday to get England out of the third confinement imposed across the Channel because of the variant of Covid-19.
The start of an upturn and a booming vaccine campaign give hope for the end of what everyone wants to see as the last confinement.
The government has already, through Secretary of State for Immunization Nadhim Zahawi, confirmed the reopening of all English schools on March 8.
"It is ambitious but it is also prudent and based on data", explains the latter on the BBC.
From March 29, outdoor gatherings will be allowed, limited to six people or two different households.
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Boris Johnson warns, this transition will be "careful" and "gradual": non-essential stores, hairdressers, pubs, restaurants, cinemas and museums will still have to wait in the hardest hit country in Europe.
The United Kingdom deplores 120,000 deaths in mid-February.
A press conference this Monday afternoon
At the beginning of January, the epidemic had exploded because of the so-called "British" variant which appeared in Kent, whose greater contagiousness precipitated hospitals on the verge of submersion.
Building on the positive effects of containment and vaccinations, Boris Johnson will present these measures to parliament this Monday afternoon, before a televised press conference in the evening.
The vaccination campaign launched in December is in full swing in England, where one in three adults has already received a first dose.
The government has promised that all adults will receive a first injection by the end of July, advancing this deadline initially set for September.
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Boris Johnson says he wants to allow people to "find their loved ones safely" after months of isolation, by allowing reunions outside, where the risk of transmission is considered lower.
But each decision will be taken with caution "so as not to undo the progress" made and the "sacrifices" made, says the head of government.
15 million people partially vaccinated
A total of 15 million people received a first dose of the vaccine in the UK in mid-February, including residents of nursing homes.
The government has already announced that from March 8, their residents will be able to welcome a visitor inside, provided they test negative for Covid-19 and wear a mask.
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While families hope to see a light at the end of the tunnel, some economic sectors particularly affected by the pandemic, such as hotels and restaurants, may have to wait a few more weeks, to the dismay of pub owners.
“The pub has always been more than just a place to drink.
This is where we go to connect, to form a community, ”defends Emma McClarkin, managing director of the British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA), pleading for their reopening.
In the United Kingdom, each of the country's four nations decides on its deconfinement strategy.
Schools in Scotland and Wales are gradually reopening from Monday, starting with the smallest primary grades.
While preparing for deconfinement, the British government has tightened border controls to prevent the importation of variants.
Since last Monday, British residents and Irish citizens arriving in England from 33 countries classified at risk must observe ten days of quarantine in a hotel, at their expense.
