Ban on outside sport can end, top scientist urges Johnson

Call comes as prime minister aims for all adults to be vaccinated by July

Data on the number of Covid-19 cases is now so encouraging that outdoor sports for children and small numbers of adults should be allowed immediately as part of an accelerated easing of the lockdown, a leading scientist and adviser to government has told the Observer.

With the prime minister expected to take a cautious approach to lifting restrictions in a statement to the House of Commons on Monday, Prof Mark Woolhouse of Edinburgh University, whose work feeds into the Sage committee's sub-group Spi-M, said the data showed there was no need for the government to be ultra-cautious".