NEW ‘ONE-METRE-PLUS’ RULE TO BOOST PUBS AND RESTAURANTS

SOCIAL distancing restrictions will be eased under lockdown reforms in a massive boost to hospitality businesses.

Boris Johnson said a “significant fall” in the spread of coronavirus meant the two -metre rule can be downgraded in areas where imposing it would be unworkable.

The Prime Minister has faced intense pressure to make the change amid fears it would make it impossible for many businesses to reopen.

Instead, “one-metre plus” guidelines, which call for extra handwashing and hygiene measures to be followed, will be introduced from July 4.

Mr Johnson said he understood that the two metre rule “effectively makes life impossible for large parts of our economy” and stopped most of the hospitality industry from reopening.

The Prime Minister said it remains “preferable” to keep two-metres apart.

He added: “But where it is not, we will advise people to keep a social distance of onemetre plus.

“This means that they should remain one-metre apart while taking mitigations to reduce the risk of transmission.”

He said office layouts should be changed to avoid face-to-face seating and the number of people in enclosed spaces should be reduced.

Protective screens and face coverings should be used where appropriate and shift patterns changed.

Mr Johnson said: “While the experts cannot give a precise assessment of how much the risk is reduced, they judge that those mitigations would make one-metre plus broadly equivalent to the risk at two metres, if those mitigations are fully implemented.”

Two households meeting for dinner can sit at the same table but still must not touch and should attempt to uphold the one-metre plus rules.