England eases Covid-19 lockdown; pubs, restaurants and hotels to reopen

Speaking in the Parliament on Tuesday, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced further easing of measures in England from July 4 ‘to enable people to see more of their friends and family, help businesses get back on their feet and get people back in their jobs’.

From July 4, pubs, restaurants and hairdressers in England will be able to reopen, providing provided they adhere to Covid-19 guidelines. Also,
two households will be able to meet up in any setting as long as they maintain social distancing measures and can now enjoy “staycations” with the reopening of accommodation sites.

“So people will be free to stay overnight in self-contained accommodation, including hotels, bed & breakfasts and campsites as long as shared facilities are kept clean,” PM Johnson informed the house.

In order to begin restoring the arts and cultural sector, PM Boris Johnson announced that some leisure facilities and tourist attractions, outdoor gyms, playgrounds, cinemas, museums, galleries, theme parks and arcades, as well as libraries, social clubs, places of worship and community centres may also open but while following social distancing rules.

Weddings with 30 guests are allowed, subject to social distancing.

PM Johnson in his address said, “We are today publishing guidance on how businesses can reduce the risk by taking certain steps to protect workers and customers. These include, for instance, avoiding face-to-face seating by changing office layouts, reducing the number of people in enclosed spaces, improving ventilation, using protective screens and face coverings, closing non-essential social spaces, providing hand sanitiser and changing shift patterns so that staff work in set teams.”

Following concerns raised by the hospitality and retail sector, a review was conducted and the prime minister changed the two-metre guidance where it is not possible to stay two metres apart. Guidance will allow people to keep a social distance of ‘one metre plus’. This means staying one metre apart, plus mitigations which reduce the risk of transmission.

“Almost as eagerly awaited as a pint, will be a haircut, particularly by me,
and so we will re-open hairdressers, with appropriate precautions, including the use of visors. We also intend to allow some other close contact services, such as nail bars, to re-open as soon as we can, when we are confident they can operate in a Covid-secure way,” Boris Johnson said.

Though the economy is opening considerably but not completely, exceptions including nightclubs, soft-play areas, indoor gyms, swimming pools, water parks, bowling alleys and spas where “close proximity” are unavoidable. This is done to avoid the possibility of a second spike and the decision will be reviewed so they can open soon too.

“We will also work with the arts industry on specific guidance to enable choirs, orchestras and theatres to resume live performances as soon as possible,” the British PM said.

The statement released said, “While the infection rate continues to fall, the prime minister has been clear that the public must continue to follow social distancing guidelines to keep coronavirus under control. The government will keep all measures under constant review and will not hesitate to apply the handbrake, or reverse measures, should the virus begin to run out of control.”

These easing down of restrictions only applies to England while Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will take their own decisions.

PM Johnson began his address by sending condolences to the families and friends of James Furlong, Joe Ritchie-Bennett and David Wails, who were brutally killed in Reading on Saturday. He said, “While we remain vigilant, we do not believe there is currently a risk of a second peak of infections that might overwhelm the NHS. Our principle is to trust the British public to use their common sense in the full knowledge of the risks, remembering that the more we open up, the more vigilant we will need to be.”

He also informed the Parliament that “nearly 69,000 people tested positive for Covid-19 across the UK; by the first half of June, that total had fallen by nearly 70 per cent to just under 22,000. The number of new infections is now declining by between 2 and 4 per cent every day.”