Pubs, restaurants, hotels and hairdressers can open from 4 July in England, when social distancing rules will be eased. Pubs and restaurants will be allowed to open both indoors and outdoors if they put in safety guidelines including table service only. Other businesses allowed to reopen will be:
- Hotels, bed and breakfasts, campsites and caravan parks
- Hair salons and barbers but with visors worn
- Playgrounds, museums, galleries, theme parks, outdoor gyms and arcades, libraries, social clubs and community centres
Cinemas and other attractions will also reopen, but not “close proximity” venues such as nightclubs, spas, indoor soft play areas, bowling alleys, water parks, indoor gyms, nail bars, and swimming pools. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said people should remain 2 metres apart where possible but a new “one metre plus” rule will be introduced. The prime minister warned that all steps were “reversible”.
Mr Johnson said people will be encouraged to use mitigation – such as face coverings – when within 2 metres of each other and “where it is possible to keep 2 metres apart people should.”
Commenting on the Prime Minister’s announcement of further easing of Coronavirus restrictions from July 4 in England, including the reopening of culture, tourism and leisure venues as well as a relaxation of the two-metre rule, BCC Director General Adam Marshall said:
“These steps will enable more companies to reopen and will be cautiously welcomed in our business communities. While the relaxation of the two-metre rule will help more firms increase capacity, we are still a long way from business as usual. Broader efforts to boost business and consumer confidence will still be needed to help firms trade their way out of this crisis.
“A comprehensive test and trace system, including a mass testing regime, must be in place to realise the benefits that the easing of restrictions could bring to firms across the UK, many of whom are relying on the swift return of consumer confidence. Businesses also need a clear roadmap to recovery, including fresh support for the worst-affected sectors and geographic areas, and broader fiscal measures to get the economy moving again.”
