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 Johnson unveiled a map out of lockdown for England on Monday that
would keep some businesses shuttered until the summer, saying
caution was necessary to ensure there were no reversals on a
"one-way road to freedom".
"I'm hopeful, but obviously nothing can be guaranteed ... I'm very
optimistic that we'll be able to get there," Johnson told
broadcasters when asked about the June 21 date earmarked to end
restrictions.
With almost 130,000 fatalities, Britain has suffered the world's
fifth-highest official death toll from the pandemic and its economy
has seen its biggest crash in more than 300 years.
But in two months it has already managed to provide an initial
vaccine dose to more than a quarter of the population, the fastest
rollout of any big country, making it a test case for governments
worldwide hoping to return life to normal.
Some in Johnson's Conservative party have questioned whether the
timetable for re-opening could have been quicker, given the success
thus far of Britain's vaccine rollout.
Earlier, health minister Matt Hancock said safety was the priority.
"We're all absolutely determined to come out of this as fast as
safely possible, but no faster," Hancock said on Sky News.
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 The roadmap suggests that
restrictions on nightclubs and large events will
be the last to be lifted on June 21, though the
government has stressed that the reopening will
be led by data, not dates.
Johnson also said senior minister Michael Gove would lead a review
to thrash out the "scientific, moral, philosophical, ethical"
question of vaccine certificates for those who have received a
coronavirus shot, which could facilitate the re-opening of
entertainment and hospitality venues.
"There are deep and complex issues that we need to explore, ethical
issues about what the role is for government in mandating all people
to have such a thing," he said.
"We can't be discriminatory against people who, for whatever reason,
can't have the vaccine. There might be medical reasons why people
can't have a vaccine ... some people may genuinely refuse to have
one."
(Reporting by Alistair Smout and Michael Holden; Additional
reporting by Estelle Shirbon; Editing by Paul Sandle and Alex
Richardson)
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