tonight at ten, ministers say it's far too early to offer a timetable for easing the covid restrictions. the uk government say the lockdown will remain, despite growing calls for relaxation within weeks, until patient admissions and death rates fall much further. the pressure on the nhs remains huge, and we've got to get that case rate down, but of course i understand why... the yearning people have to get out of this. and there are calls in england for teachers, pupils and parents to be given more certainty about the likely reopening of schools. i would just ask...for some clear, as much as possible, idea about how we can get back to normal.

we'll have the latest on the pandemic, as the latest figures reveal more than three—quarters of the over—80s across the uk have had their first vaccination. also tonight: the mother of keon lincoln, the teenage boy shot dead in birmingham last week, appeals to the community for more information to help the police. the type of person keon was, it doesn't make any sense as to why anybody would want to harm him or take his life in such a brutal way. after two centuries, debenhams stores will disappear from the british high street, with up to 12,000 jobs set to go. and the chelsea legend frank lampard is sacked by the club afterjust 18 months as manager. and later in the sport on bbc news, we'll tell you how england wrapped up a series win in sri lanka with an impressive all—round display in the second test match in galle.

good evening. it's still far too early to offer a timetable for easing the covid restrictions. that's the warning from the health secretary for england, matt hancock, who said today the pressure on the nhs was just too great, with the number of patients being admitted almost double the peak in april last year. and he said the success of the vaccine roll—out meant that progress should not be put at risk. a group of conservative mps is demanding the restrictions be relaxed and schools reopened as soon as key groups have had their vaccinations. but public health england has warned that death rates and hospitalisations will need to fall much further before considering a return to the tiered system. 0ur political editor, laura kuenssberg, reports on the latest debate about ending the lockdown. barely a footprint where snowballs would normally be thrown.

lockdown�*s most profound effect perhaps — about eight million of the next generation out of school. and their garden in bromley can't fill the gap. i've got two children, an eight—year—old girl and a ten—year—old boy. my son's school have decided not to provide any online learning at all, and his confidence is absolutely zero. he feels like he's a failure. and when your ten—year—old is telling you that they're not good enough, they don't want to be here, that is really scary to hear. i would just ask for some idea about how we can get back to normal. ministers have mentioned before or after easter — but the prime minister today suggested once the most vulnerable have had theirjabs, next month. before then, we'll be looking at the potential of relaxing some measures. but don't forget that this country has made huge progress in reducing infection. i don't think people want to see

another big surge in infection. you might wonder, hearing that, if the rules might be rolled back a bit next month. well, the law says they have to be reviewed in the middle of february. but don't expect any major changes. ministers want to be sure that cases are falling, deaths are falling, the vaccine�*s working, and that there aren't any new dangerous variants of the disease around. and this time they want to be confident that when they unlock, they don't later have to slam the country's doors again. yet there are growing demands over there for at least a sketch of what the way out might look like. people are going through a really hard time at the moment, we're all kind of grinding this lockdown out, and people will hear this and perhaps get false hope. so i don't think that lack of clarity helps, and i think it's better if the government are a bit more consistent with their messages. so would the health secretary be more specific today? can you, secretary of state,

spell out how — if not when — lockdown might start to be lifted, and if you won't tell us, why not? the pressure on the nhs remains huge, and we've got to get that case rate down. but of course i understand why... the yearning people have, everybody wants to have a timeline for that. but i think most people understand why it is difficult to put a timeline on it, because it's a matter of monitoring the data and the facts. but there are costs to the wait, too. in cheshire, dan wright's vehicles are parked up in the snow rather than out on the road. self—employed, he's had to apply for benefits. money's running tight. all future work has been cancelled, we have no income whatsoever, we still have yard rent to pay, we still have business loans on the vehicles. unfortunately, without any help, we can't continue. there are signs lockdown�*s starting to control the deadly disease, but the numbers and the risks are still so high. three weeks in, no certain end. laura kuenssberg, bbc news, westminster.

parents in england will be told as soon as possible when schools can reopen. that was the prime minister's response when asked to provide more certainty for teachers, parents and pupils alike. mrjohnson said he understood why people wanted a timetable, but he didn't want to lift restrictions while the infection rate was "still very high" in his words. and he would not guarantee schools would reopen before the easter break in april. there's growing concern about the effect the school closures are having, as our education editor, branwen jeffreys, has been finding out. schools in england are busier this lockdown. the fears about children missing out have grown. but millions, like ten—year—old katerina, are learning at home. she says her teachers help a lot, but day after day without friends is hard. at school, they're always there, and you can always laugh and cheer with them.

you can call them and play with them online and stuff, but it's never going to be the same as in real life. head teachers should get two weeks�* warning of full reopening but say they need to know more to get ready. we need to know, are we testing and if we are testing, who are we testing, which tests? we need to know how many children are coming back to school. is it all children, or is it certain year groups like exam groups? is it going to be full—time? is it going to be part—time? is it going to be on a rotation? all of these things are absolutely crucial for running a school. today, not much more detail from the education secretary. we want to see all children back into school _ at the very earliest moment. the government said again today that reopening schools fully is its top priority as soon as it's safe to do so. but for millions of families, this has become one of those

touchstone issues for parents trying to get work done at home and keep an eye on their kids�* school work, who just want to know, how much longer will they have to manage? but the political heat over schools is increasing, leading mps calling for a clear plan. what i'd like to understand is, what are the risks to children and staff? i think the chief medical officer should set out what impact the new variant has had. if, as the deputy chief medical officer said, it's relatively low, then surely this must be one of the conditions met in terms of children going back to school. from this warehouse, laptops are going to schools, more than 800,000 said to be delivered so far. but being able to connect is one thing. not everyone has a place and parental support to study. research from the first lockdown

found that disadvantaged young people were less likely to, or likely to have fewer hours of online learning, and on average, around 73—75 minutes' less time engaging with learning than their more affluent peers. katerina has parents willing and able to support her, but as long as schools are mainly closed, others may be falling even further behind. branwen jeffreys, bbc news. when the prime minister ordered the closure of schools in england early in the new year, he explained that schools could be a dangerous medium of transmission. so what is the evidence about the role schools play in the spread of coronavirus, both within the classroom and outside? 0ur science editor, david shukman, has been investigating.

the scientists advising the government have been very clear about schools. they believe there's so much virus around that reopening the gates would increase the rate of transmission. but who exactly is at risk of becoming infected? well, the research tells us that young children are really unlikely to come to any harm. so are children of secondary—school age. but they are more able to spread the virus and to bring it home, which means that vulnerable family members may be exposed. and according to the latest official data, teachers are no more likely to become infected than the general population. now, there have been outbreaks in schools, with many pupils forced to stay at home to self—isolate, but where exactly are the risks in schools and around them? the answer is that no—one can be totally sure. classrooms may be where infections could happen. it's notjust, you know, in the classroom, it's kids travelling to school,

kids leaving during breaks, going to the local shops. all of the things that kids do that's part of your school day, and parents do, all of that is just giving more and more opportunities for transmission. there are plenty of ideas for how to be open schools. vaccinating teachers, for example. so what kinds of measures might help and make that happen? testing could make a difference. teachers in liverpool were given priority for tests. and this is what happens in france, where schools have stayed open. in denmark, many classes have moved out of schools and into large public buildings to create more room for social distancing. and in germany, there's a big push for better ventilation. this equipment brings in fresh air to dilute the virus. but above all else, infections need to be lower. david shukman, bbc news. let's take a look at the latest government figures. there were 22,195 new infections

in the latest 24—hour period. that's the lowest increase since december. there have been an average of 33,738 new cases per day in the past week. there were 37,899 people in hospital with coronavirus over the seven days to the 21st of january. 592 deaths were recorded in the last 2a hours of people who'd had a positive covid—i9 test within the prevous 28 days. the average number of deaths per day in the past week is 1,239. the total number of uk deaths is now 98,531. let's also take a look at the vaccination numbers. 220,249 people got their first dose of one of the approved vaccines in the latest 2a hour period, and a total of 6,573,570 people have now had their firstjab.

0ur health editor, hugh pym, is here. tancock and the prime minister talking about rates of hospital admission, case number still being very high. what is the picture? —— we heard matt hancock. still very high. what is the picture? -- we heard matt hancock.- we heard matt hancock. still high but falling. _ we heard matt hancock. still high but falling, the _ we heard matt hancock. still high but falling, the reported - we heard matt hancock. still high but falling, the reported daily - but falling, the reported daily cases is 15,000 down on this time last week. but of course the snow might have had something to do with it, people having problems getting to testing stations and so on. even so, looking at the rolling seven day average for the underlying trend, it is the lowest since before christmas, falling in all nations of the uk. in wales, the lowest since late new hospital late november. daily new hospital admissions falling, the lowest since early january. admissions falling, the lowest since earlyjanuary. the number of early january. the number of patients earlyjanuary. the number of patients overall with covid in hospital is still very high, up at about 38,000, patients need to stay in bed for some time to recover, and

thatis in bed for some time to recover, and that is why ministers say the nhs is still under huge pressure.— still under huge pressure. ministers wantin: to still under huge pressure. ministers wanting to underline _ still under huge pressure. ministers wanting to underline the _ still under huge pressure. ministers wanting to underline the fact - still under huge pressure. ministers wanting to underline the fact that i wanting to underline the fact that vaccines are being rolled out in the millions, what is the progress there? . , jun ., millions, what is the progress there? . [bin ., ., j~:: there? nearly 80% of those over 80 have had there? nearly 8096 of those over 80 have had their _ there? nearly 8096 of those over 80 have had their first _ there? nearly 8096 of those over 80 have had their first dose, _ there? nearly 8096 of those over 80 have had their first dose, and - there? nearly 8096 of those over 80 have had their first dose, and matt i have had theirfirst dose, and matt hancock said that everything was still on track to get the four key priority groups are vaccinated by the middle of february, the over 70s and all of those who are extremely clinically vulnerable, 2.5 million donein clinically vulnerable, 2.5 million done in the last week. the latest daily number was well down at about 220,000, as we heard, again that might have had something to do with the snow. , ., , might have had something to do with the snow. , . , ., ., the snow. hugh pym, many thanks, our health editor- — the moderna vaccine is one of three approved for use in the uk but is not yet in use. but it does appear to work against the new, more infectious variant of coronavirus found in the uk and provides adequate protection against the new south africa version.

these new variants have been spreading fast in a number of different countries. 0ur science correspondent rebecca morelle has been looking at why they are such a threat and how to deal with future mutations as they come along. a year into the pandemic, and the virus is changing. new variants are emerging around the world, altering its structure and the waythe virus behaves. the variant spelling in the uk has a significant mutation. it's called n601y and it changes the spike of the virus. that spike is like a key opening up a lock. it inserts into receptors and enters ourselves. the mutation gives this key a much better fit, mutation gives this key a much betterfit, which is how it can infect more people. the variant in south africa and a separate one in brazil has another worrying mutation. it's called ea84k01y and

it works differently, meaning any past immunity is not as effective. this mutation is also important for vaccines, which trigger antibody production. today, moderna announced its vaccine wasn't as effective for the south african variant, although it still provided enough protection. it did fully work against the uk variant, though. moderna, pfizer and astrazeneca can adapt their vaccines, which target the spike. but others, aimed at different parts of the virus, are also being developed. we wa nt we want to be developing vaccines in the next generation that do cover these mutations that have been redesigned, and that shouldn't be difficult. we also need vaccines that cover other parts of the virus, because we can see that the spike protein is a highly malleable, adaptable piece of the virus. so how much more could the virus change?

in the us, scientists are studying every possible mutation to the spike — nearly 4,000 of them — to flag which ones are the most dangerous. if we start out by looking at all possible mutations, then as things change in nature, we can look back at our reference table of data and see how these mutations might affect immunity rather than always trying to catch up with the virus and always being one step behind. we can't stop more mutations from appearing, but our actions will affect how quickly this happens. we really need to get the prevalence down, because the less viruses out there in fewer people, the less chance there is of any mutations arising or being selected. it's just like rolling a dice. the fewer times you roll it, the less chance there is that you roll a six. there's still much to learn about the new variants, and urgent studies are under way

to see if the one first identified in the uk is more deadly, but the whole world needs to step up surveillance to keep ahead of this rapidly evolving pandemic. rebecca morelle, bbc news. there's been further protests in the netherlands this evening, with groups of people in cities across the country defying a curfew order introduced at the weekend to curb the spread of the coronavirus. these were the scenes in rotterdam, where officers used water cannon and tear gas to clear the streets where hundreds had gathered, some said to be looting shops. in the hague, protesters lit fires, while in amsterdam several arrests were made. the head of france's health regulator has warned that the country is at a worrying moment over covid—19, as the number of people being treated in hospital with the virus continues to grow. yesterday, the government's top scientific adviser conceded that a third shutdown was probably necessary. but president macron is keen to avoid a lockdown, hoping a 6pm curfew will be enough to slow the rate of infection.

it's expected that british nationals arriving in the uk from high—risk countries will have to quarantine in a hotel at their own expense under plans being discussed by ministers tomorrow. borisjohnson said ministers were "actively working" on the idea amid concern over the new variants of the virus. most foreign nationals from high—risk countries already face uk bans, including from south africa and brazil. hotel quarantine is already in place in countries including new zealand and australia. 0ur transport correspondent caroline davies is in whitehall. caroline, what do we expect in these talks that are taking place tomorrow?— talks that are taking place tomorrow? ~ . , ., ., tomorrow? we are still waiting to hear uuite tomorrow? we are still waiting to hear quite a _ tomorrow? we are still waiting to hear quite a bit _ tomorrow? we are still waiting to hear quite a bit more _ tomorrow? we are still waiting to hear quite a bit more about - tomorrow? we are still waiting to hear quite a bit more about this l hear quite a bit more about this policy. as you say, one of the key suggestions seems to be the introduction of hotel quarantine for visitors coming to the uk from high—risk countries. what those countries could be, we don't yet

know. it could be south africa or brazil, but as you say, if you are travelling from those countries at the moment, you are only able to do so to come to the uk if you are a british, irish national or if you have a uk residency permit. those would be the only people who would be caught by this policy if that is the level to which it is introduced at this stage. we have also heard that the government is looking at charging the passengers for their stay. but the policies could extend further. it can be applied to two other countries as well. we are waiting to hear how wide it will be. this restriction comes on top of multiple other travel restrictions that the government have implemented over the last few weeks to try to limit the extent of the new covid variants' impact on the uk. we are waiting to hearfrom variants' impact on the uk. we are waiting to hear from the transport industry, who have said they are very concerned about this and about how quickly it could be rolled back. caroline, many thanks for that update from the home office.

the mother of 15—year—old keon lincoln, the teenage boy who was shot dead in birmingham last week, said she heard the gunshots that killed her son. five teenagers have been arrested on suspicion of keon's murder, but west midlands police said their appeal for information from the local community had been disappointing. sharmaine lincoln, keon's mother, urged people to come forward to help the family understand why it happened. 0ur correspondent sian lloyd reports. keon lincoln, a teenager who loved to dance, laugh and listen to music. this footage taken by his twin sister on her phone is now a treasured memory for his family. keon was shot and stabbed just steps away from his front door. supported by her daughter and family pastor, today his mother spoke about their loss and the moment she knew something had happened. i heard the gunshots and my first instinct was, "where's my son?"

those are the first words i said. "where's my son?" and then a few minutes went by, i found out that there was somebody up the road. and...yeah, it was my boy. keon was attacked on thursday afternoon in broad daylight in the handsworth area of birmingham. police have arrested five youths aged between 16 and 16 on suspicion of murder. one has since been released under investigation. they believe that people living locally have information and community leaders havejoined keon's family in asking them to come forward. what i'd like to say is that we as a community talk about black lives matter, but this is a black—on—black crime and this is a concern for us as a community, for us as elders, in terms of what has happened,

and we do not want to see further killings like this. police believe this white car which crashed nearby was used by the attackers. officers are continuing to review local cctv. but why keon was targeted is unclear. it doesn't make sense as to why anybody would want to harm him. we just need to understand why it's happened. um... just need to understand. grieving for a beloved son, keon's family hope the answers they search for will come soon. sian lloyd, bbc news. the impeachment of donald trump will move a step closer in the next couple of hours, when the house of representatives formally charges the former president with inciting insurrection in relation to the attack on the us capitol on january 6th.

impeachment is the process where a public official can be charged with high crimes or misdeameanours. they are then tried in the us senate, although it's not a criminal trial. impeachment then requires a two—thirds majority, and could led to a ban on holding any public office. 0ur north america editor jon sopel is in washington. jon, how do you think this process is going to unfold? i jon, how do you think this process is going to unfold?— is going to unfold? i think it's auoin to is going to unfold? i think it's going to be — is going to unfold? i think it's going to be very _ is going to unfold? i think it's going to be very different - is going to unfold? i think it's. going to be very different from is going to unfold? i think it's - going to be very different from last year. this time round, the senate floor where the child will take place is also the crime scene. a year ago republican leaders in the senate were saying, let's get this over and done with as soon as possible, there is nothing to see here, do not prosecute the president for this. this time around, the leadership are saying, it's up to you, you decide how you want to go on this. and mitch mcconnell, the very influential leader of republicans in the senate, has said the president's language provoked the president's language provoked

the violence that ensued by the telling of untruths, so a very different situation. but we have got two weeks, and all the grassroots pressure from people in the country, the republican party, is to acquit donald trump. they think it's all a hoax, that he shouldn't be put on trial and that it should end in that way. now, of course, the senate is acting as a court. the senators are acting as a court. the senators are acting as a court. the senators are acting as jurors, acting as a court. the senators are acting asjurors, but acting as a court. the senators are acting as jurors, but let's acting as a court. the senators are acting asjurors, but let's not overdo the judicial comparisons. the people that will vote are ultimately politicians, and they are going to feel the pressure of their constituents not to convict. jon so el, constituents not to convict. jon sepel. with _ constituents not to convict. jon sopel, with the latest from capitol hill. in bristol, four people have pleaded not guilty to causing criminal damage to a statue of the slave trader edward colston. it was pulled down during black lives matter protests lastjune and thrown into bristol harbour. the four are due to appear at the city's crown court next month. a lawyer for the bereaved families

of the manchester arena attack has claimed that nearly four years after the bombing, there has been no urgency from government to attempt to improve security at public venues. a plan for a law to improve venue safety has been paused due to covid—19, but pete weatherby qc said a failure to set out a timetable for change showed a "complete lack of commitment" by the government, which "increases the risk of further outrages". after more than 240 years, debenhams stores will be disappearing from the british high street, with up to 12,000 jobs set to go. the debenhams brand and website has been bought by the online retailer boohoo, in a deal worth 55 million. and another high street name, topshop, looks likely to be snapped up, by another online retailer, asos. our business correspondent emma simpson reports. boohoo, the brash, fast fashion retailer that's piled on sales during the pandemic.

so too has asos, another online fashion giant. and they're both making a move on some of our biggest high street names. today, boohoo swooped on debenhams. it's bought the brand, the website, but not the stores. and asos is closing in on a deal to buy topshop, topman and miss selfridge. it's not interested in the shops either. what we're seeing is boohoo suggesting they want to create the uk's biggest online marketplace, a sort of department store for the modern day, selling more than just clothing, but homeware and sports. neither asos nor boohoo are retailers that like stores, they're retailers who want to take their offer to the shoppers and they don't want the costs that are associated with a large store estate. these high street chains are big employers. some 12,000 jobs will be lost at debenhams at its 118 stores.

the arcadia group, also in administration, has around 13,000 workers and more than 400 stores. those are at risk too. sharon works at debenhams. it's a big blow and the high street is changing all the time and you just worry how that will end up looking. customers like to come in and try things on and have that experience with people like myself who help them with their products and what they want to buy. who would have thoughtjust a few years ago that the online upstart boohoo would be buying one of the biggest, oldest names in british retail, and that asos would be on the verge of picking up the crown jewels of sir philip green's retail empire? it all shows just how much this industry's changing. big gaps to fill on the high street too. mark robinson's a landlord who advises the government on revitalising town centres.

short—term, it's going to be dreadful, but then we had created these clone towns that people fell out of love with. we had these problems before covid started and we'll have to replace them with things that are relevant for the future and if we get it right, i can see 2021 being the turning point for the high street. but not yet. the remaining debenhams stores will reopen to clear stock and then close for good. england's cricketers have beaten sri lanka in the second test to win the series 2—0. 15 wickets fell on the fourth day, with sri lanka bowled out for just 126. but the hosts also had success bowling, reducing england to 89 forfour at one stage, before an unbeaten stand of 75 between dom sibley and jos buttler saw england through to victory. football, and frank lampard says he's disappointed not to have had the time to take the club

forward to the next level following his sacking as chelsea manager. lampard had been in charge forjust 18 months, but five defeats in their past eight league games, and the club lying ninth in the premier league, saw the club's owner roman abramomich decide to part company with the chelsea icon. 0ur sports correspondent katie gornall reports. as a chelsea player, frank lampard's timing was impeccable. lampard, goal 100 for chelsea! but as a manager, even his status as a club legend couldn't stop time from running out. the warning signs were there after a slump in form saw chelsea lose five of their last eight games in the premier league, and this is not a club known for its patience. they've just always done this. i thought it would be different this time because it's frank. i thought, at last, chelsea are going to do something different. i was wrong. it's just what chelsea always do.

this morning, chelsea confirmed his departure, saying: