Cinemas among indoor venues to now need masks
Face coverings will soon be mandatory in more public places such as cinemas in England, according to new government guidance.
Speaking in a press conference, Prime Minister Boris Johnson stated that face masks must be worn in indoor venues like cinemas, galleries and places of worship from August 8.
Face masks are already mandatory in shops and on public transport.
During the same press conference, Mr Johnson announced the delay to some planned easing of lockdown restrictions at the start of August, which meant bowling alleys, casinos and skating rinks did not reopen as planned.
It is now thought that these businesses will be allowed to open on August 15 at the earliest.
Small wedding receptions of up to 30 people will also not be permitted to take place, and indoor performances will not resume.
The PM revealed that the change of plan had been made to avoid a second nationwide lockdown.
He said: “At this stage, we are not changing the rules on social contact nationally.
“I don’t want to tell people to spend less time with their friends.
“But unless people follow the rules and behave safely, we may need to go further.
According to Mr Johnson, one in 1,500 people in the UK now have coronavirus, compared to one in 1,800 on July 15 and one in 2,000 on July 2.
Local lockdowns have now been put in place across parts of the north of England where the number of cases has increased again.
Those areas that have now been in placed to lockdown again are Greater Manchester, Blackburn with Darwen, Burnley, Hyndburn, Pendle, Rossendale, Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees
The city of Leicester - that had already been placed under a local lockdown - will also follow the same restrictions as the above locations.
People from different households in these places are no longer allowed to meet each other indoors.