SUMMER’S BACK ON!
Boris unlocks nation and urges: Go and enjoy yourselves ++ Pubs, hotels and hair salons to open ++ 2-metre rule axed ++ But health chief warns virus is risk into 2021
BORIS Johnson urged Britons to get out and ‘enjoy themselves’ as he unveiled a conditional end to lockdown in time for the holidays.
In a calculated gamble to head off economic disaster, he said pubs, restaurants, tourism and much of the entertainment industry could reopen from July 4.
Different households will be allowed to meet up indoors for meals and even stay the night – although they will still not be allowed to hug. Small weddings will be permitted while hairdressers, libraries, cinemas, playgrounds and theme parks can open their doors again from ‘Super Saturday’.
The two-metre rule is being softened under a sweeping return of personal freedoms.
The Prime Minister said he wanted to see ‘bustle and activity’ return to towns and cities after three months of restrictions that have pushed the economy to the brink.
With families now given the green light for a summer staycation, he urged uK resorts to ‘roll out the welcome mat’. But, with cases of coronavirus still running at more than 1,000 a day, some high-risk sectors will remain closed, including gyms, swimming pools, nightclubs and bowling alleys.
Mr Johnson warned ministers ‘will not hesitate to apply the brakes and reintroduce restrictions, even at national level’.
‘Our long national hibernation is beginning to come to an end,’ he told MPs. ‘Life is returning to our shops, streets and homes.
‘But it would be all too easy for that frost to return, and that is why we will continue to trust in the common sense and the community spirit of the British people to follow this guidance.’
At last night’s No 10 briefing, the Prime Minister was flanked
by the Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty and Chief Scientific Adviser Patrick Vallance, who both struck a notably more cautious note.
Mr Johnson urged people to stick with social-distancing measures and acknowledged that Professor Whitty was ‘particularly concerned’ about the possibility of ‘great writhing scenes in beer gardens when the virus can be passed on’.
The two experts also indicated the measures had not been signed off by the Government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage). But they said they could live with the new freedoms, provided people stuck to the rules.
Professor Whitty, who warned coronavirus was still likely to be a problem in a year’s time, said: ‘Personally am I comfortable with this? I think this is a reasonable balance of risk, it is absolutely not riskfree. We may at some point say a particular decision is too much of a risk.’
Sir Patrick added: ‘Don’t be fooled that this means it has gone away. The disease is growing across the world. It is coming down in the UK but it hasn’t gone away.’
As it emerged a string of ‘air bridges’ are to be arranged to get around quarantine rules and allow foreign holidays:
The daily death toll rose by 171 to just under 43,000. Excess deaths during the pandemic have now topped 65,000;
Official figures revealed the cost of propping up jobs has topped £30billion, with 9.2million furloughed and 2.6million self-employed on state aid;
A snap poll by YouGov found the public backed the latest lockdown changes by a margin of 47:37;
The PM said the daily No 10 briefings would be ditched, despite unease among some senior Tories that the move could damage public trust;
Churches were told they could resume communal services but singing is banned because it spreads the disease further;
The Scottish government signalled a U-turn on schools, saying it now hoped to get all children back next term.
The PM confirmed he wanted to see ‘all schools’ in England back in September, despite fresh warnings from the unions that the idea was ‘pure fantasy’;
Despite the easing of restrictions, Mr Johnson said employees should continue to work from home if possible;
Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said the Government hoped to reopen gyms by mid- July, following a backlash from fitness enthusiasts;
Dominic Cummings outlined plans for a major shakeup of Whitehall;
Theatres were told they could reopen, but only to screen pre-recorded works.
The Prime Minister yesterday acknowledged the pandemic had ‘inflicted permanent scars’, with tens of thousands of people dying before their time. He also warned of ‘real problems of unemployment’, which would require huge job creation schemes, such as flood defences.
Mr Johnson bowed to pressure over the two-metre rule following a campaign by the Daily Mail and pressure from Tory MPs and the hospitality sector.
One MP yesterday exclaimed: ‘Hallelujah’ as the PM confirmed the rule was going. Government scientists had advised the restriction was needed despite the World Health Organisation saying one metre was safe, and most other countries using shorter distances.
Businesses such as pubs and restaurants will be allowed to operate with reduced social distancing provided they put ‘mitigations’ in place to slow the spread of the virus, such as outdoor seating.
The new rules are for guidance instead of being enshrined in law, unlike at the start of lockdown. Police enforcement will now be limited to breaking up any mass gatherings. The PM said: ‘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.
‘From now on we will ask people to follow guidance on social contact instead of People should of course enjoy themselves, but this is going to be with us for a while, so people have to adjust and make it work.’
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