More of us are venturing outside and feeling happier - Money

More of us are venturing outside and feeling happier than when lockdown began in the darkest days of January, official figures revealed today.

More Britons said they were leaving their homes to walk in a local park or green space, collect a takeaway or buy non-essential items.

And the level of happiness reported also increased compared to the start of the year, statisticians from the Office for National Statistics said.

But almost half of parents questioned said they were worried about their children returning to school or college.

Boris Johnson has eased some lockdown restrictions in England, including re-opening schools and allowing two people from two households to meet for a coffee or picnic, but stay-at-home orders are still in place.

It comes amid weeks of data showing Britain has turned the tide on the second wave, with Covid infections, deaths and hospitalisations falling for weeks.

And a successful vaccine rollout that has seen more than 23million Britons receiving at least a first dose against the virus.

More Britons visited parks or green spaces, collected takeaways and went shopping for non-essential items in the five-days to March 7 than in the darkest days of January, Office for National Statistics data revealed today

Almost half of parents surveyed also said they were concerned about sending their children back to school, with being worried about them catching Covid as the top reason

Britons meet in Hyde Park. Boris Johnson has eased some lockdown restrictions to allow two people from two different households to meet outdoors

ALL BUT ONE LONDON BOROUGH SAW COVID CASES FALL LAST WEEK, DATA SHOWS

Only one London borough suffered a spike in coronavirus cases last week, Government data has revealed as the capital’s second wave remains firmly in retreat.

Department of Health’s most-up-to-date data showed 31 out of 32 local authorities saw their infection rate dip over the seven-day spell to March 6.

Hammersmith and Fulham recorded the sharpest drop in Covid cases, after they halved in a week. It was followed by Haringey, Brent, Bromley and Bexley, where infections plummeted by more than 40 per cent.

Kingston-upon-Thames was the only London borough to see cases tick upwards, after they rose by 28 per cent last week to 50.1 positive tests per 100,000 residents.

Public health officials in the capital credited the ‘heroic efforts of Londoners’ for the nosediving infection rates last week, but warned they must continue to stay at home and follow the rules.

The Office for National Statistics Opinions and Lifestyle Survey has asked more than 4,000 Britons about their activities every week since March last year.

It was set up to monitor observance of lockdown restrictions, alongside happiness, anxiety and concern levels in the population.

The statisticians found 21 per cent of Britons surveyed said they had visited a park or outdoor green space in the five days to March 7.

For comparison, this was 16 per cent in the four days to January 10 after lockdowns were imposed nationwide.

They also revealed 14 per cent of Britons went out to collect a takeaway in the most recent period, compared to eight per cent in early January.

And 10 per cent went to buy non-essential items in shops, almost double the six per cent at the start of the year.

The survey also found happiness levels had risen to 6.8 out of 10, up 0.3 points from 6.5 reported in early January.

But these were still below the levels in February 2020 before the pandemic hit – when they were around 7.2.

Separate figures in the survey showed observance of lockdown rules remained high.

As many as 89 per cent of Britons said they were always or regularly washing their hands with soap and water after returning home from a public place.

A further 96 per cent said they were using a face covering, and 88 per cent said they were maintaining social distancing when meeting people outside their support bubble.

The survey also found 46 per cent of adults were still working from home, but 48 per cent said they had travelled in to work.

The Government has asked all Britons to work from home where this is possible.

And vaccine hesitancy rates remained low in the UK, with more than nine in ten adults saying they would get the Covid vaccine

The survey also found many Britons are still obeying lockdown restrictions

And more adults said they thought life could get back to normal in six months or less

The survey also found more adults were travelling to work than working from home. Government rules ask everyone to work from home where possible

It also showed vaccine hesitancy rates remain very low, with more than nine in ten Britons saying they would get the jab.

Almost half of 780 parents polled also voiced concern about their children’s return to school or college, the data also showed.

Some 47 per cent of adults said they were very or somewhat worried about their child’s return.

Three in 10 said they were not at all worried about their child returning to educational settings.

The most common reasons for concern were the risk of their child catching or spreading Covid-19, and the impact on mental health and wellbeing caused by changes in schools and colleges.

Parents were also worried about sending their child back before the vaccine rollout has finished, and more than a quarter (27%) were concerned about how prepared their school or college will be for keeping pupils safe.