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Prime Minister Boris Johnson has told the nation that “we cannot delude ourselves COVID has gone away,” as scientists predicted another wave of coronavirus “at some stage”.

Mr Johnson said there was “nothing in the data” to suggest the government would have to deviate from its roadmap of relaxing restrictions in the next few weeks, and praised the rollout of the coronavirus vaccine so far.

He told a press conference on Tuesday: “The majority of scientific opinion in this country is still firmly of the view that there will be another wave of COVID at some stage this year. And so we must, as far as possible, learn to live with this disease as we live with other diseases.”

He indicated this could include bolstering defences with booster jabs.

He also announced the launch of a new Antivirals Taskforce which would be searching for “the most promising new medicines” and supporting their development.

The aim is to ensure any new treatments will be ready as early as Autumn.

“This means, for example, that if you test positive, there might be a tablet you could take at home to stop the virus in its tracks, and significantly reduce the chance of infection turning into more severe disease,” he said.

“By focusing on these new antivirals, we hope to lengthen the UK’s lead in medicines and in life sciences, and to give ever greater confidence to the people of this country that we continue on our path towards freedom.”

He said the recent reopening of pubs and hairdressers had been a “big step” and “has brought the first glimmerings of a return to normality”.

“Science is helping us to get back towards normality and I believe that antiviral treatments can play an important part.  […] keep each other safe and see through our roadmap to reclaim our lives in full.”

Get ready for a week of thrilling rides and games when Lincoln’s funfair returns to the South Common for a COVID-19 secure event next month.

The bi-annual event was due to take place in September last year, but was shut down by City of Lincoln Council due to a rise in the number of local coronavirus cases at the time.

Organisers said Lincoln Fun Fair will be able to make a comeback between Friday, May 14 and Saturday, May 22 now that coronavirus lockdown restrictions are starting to be eased more across the country.

The fair will be open between 6pm and 10pm on weekdays and 2pm-10pm on Saturday, but it will be closed on Sunday.

Entry is priced at £1 and there is free parking on site.

As well as family favourites such as the Twister, Waltzer and Dodgems, The Bomber will return along with the Matterhorn and Miami rides.

The Bomber has rotating cars upside down that people are strapped into and it spins round at great speed, taking you around 120 feet up in the air.

In addition to the adult and children’s rides, there will be games stalls and refreshments, including traditional fairground favourites such as hot dogs, burgers and candy floss, as well as dirty fries, ice cream and sweets.

The fair is run under the banner box the Showman’s Guild and one of the organisers Ashley Wood told The Lincolnite: “We are looking forward to coming back again.

“We have historical ties with the city of Lincoln. My family have run rides and stalls on the South Common for generations, including my great grandfather at the cattle market on Monks Road where the fair was originally.”

Dozens of people in the Sikh community received their coronavirus vaccinations at the temple known as Guru Nanak Gurudwara in Scunthorpe on Sunday.

The temple is open for socially distanced prayers, but now also has a pop-up clinic, which community leaders say embodies Sikhism’s key principles of equality and service to humanity.

This comes at a time when celebrations are restricted for Vaisakhi, which is a historical and religious festival.

There have been some fears about the vaccine take up among certain ethnic minority groups, but community efforts like this can make a big difference.

Dr Satpal Shekhawat told BBC Look North: “COVID does not discriminate and we won’t overcome this illness until we all get vaccinated, until we all work together, so we want to bring forward the communities which have not had the highest vaccination levels and that’s why this is an important step for us.”