Covid news – live: Schools to stay closed until at least 8 March as UK records second-highest daily deaths so far

Boris Johnson has announced schools in England will remain closed until at least 8 March (Martin Rickett/PA)

Boris Johnson has promised schools £300m for catch-up tutoring as he confirmed that hopes of all pupils returning to class after the February half-term had been abandoned.

Schools will not reopen in England until at least 8 March – and only then if the UK vaccination programme is on track, he told MPs.

On the day the UK recorded its second-highest ever daily death count, of 1,725, the prime minister announced the government would set out a "road map" for reopening schools, the economy and society on 22 February.

Asked about pressure from the EU on AstraZeneca to deliver vaccines from British factories, Mr Johnson said: "All I can say is that we're very confident in our supplies."

The prime minister also finally unveiled the first details of a 10-day mandatory hotel quarantine scheme that will apply to 22 “red list” countries where there are fears over the spread of virus variants.

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