Galleries to reopen in return of cultural life

Cinemas and museums to be unlocked as two-metre rule is eased at the start of July

CINEMAS, museums and art galleries can open from the end of next week in a push to save the leisure and tourism industry, Boris Johnson will say today.

At the same time, the Prime Minister will confirm the two-metre rule will be cut to one, enabling businesses and venues to reopen in the biggest return of freedoms since lockdown began.

On July 4, already dubbed by some MPS “Super Saturday”, restaurants, hotels, pubs and hairdressers will also be allowed to reopen, and “air bridges” established to save the summer holidays.

Matt Hancock, the Health Secretary, announced that 2.2 million people who had been shielding during lockdown will finally be allowed to see friends and stay with their families from July 6, with shielding ending fully on July 31.

Mr Johnson has faced increasing calls to speed up the reopening of the economy and was told by scientific advisers last night that the rate of coronavirus transmission in the community was low enough to allow a wider easing of lockdown than had been expected.

Just 15 deaths were recorded on Sunday, the lowest since March 15 – before lockdown was imposed – and new cases fell below 1,000 for the first time since the April peak. About one in 1,700 people has the virus, compared with one in 400 a month ago.

Mr Hancock said: “All those figures are coming down and pointing in the right direction… this means that tomorrow the Prime Minister will be able to set out the next steps in our plan.”

Cinemas can open from July 4, in time for the summer blockbuster season, provided they stick to rules that could include one-way systems, social distancing, pre-booked tickets and improved ventilation. Museums and art galleries will also open if they comply with the rules. With pubs, restaurants and hotels opening on the same day, plus the first “air bridges”, Mr Johnson hopes that tourists from home and abroad will revive the leisure and hospitality industries.

Last night he was given the results of a government review into the two-metre rule, and will today announce that it will be changed to “one metre plus” – people allowed one metre apart provided mitigating factors are in place, including face coverings in some circumstances, perspex screens, ventilation and strict hygiene.

Mr Johnson is also expected to expand the “support bubble” policy, which allows people living alone or single parents to become part of another nominated household, enabling them to visit family or friends and stay overnight. One possibility is for two entire households to be allowed to join together.

Later this week the Government will introduce a Covid Bill to Parliament, which will make changes to the law to allow businesses to maximise turnover without risking a rise in infections.

Pubs will be allowed to turn car parks into beer gardens to increase their outdoor seating capacity, town squares will be opened up for restaurant tables and streets could be temporarily pedestrianised to allow for European-style street cafés.

Jenny Harries, the deputy chief medical officer, said yesterday that there was evidence that warm weather was helping to kill off the virus, and that this summer would be “as safe as it is likely to be for a while”.

HAIRDRESSERS are getting prepared to plough through a 12-week backlog as they plan midnight openings and sell theme park-style, fast-track tickets.

Many are fully booked for the first two weeks after reopening. One London salon said its waiting list was 2,000 strong and could take 12 weeks to clear.

The Government is yet to confirm that hairdressers and other businesses, which have remained closed throughout lockdown, can open on July 4.

But when the go-ahead comes, Hellen Ward, of Richard Ward Hair & Metrospa, in London, said part of clearing the backlog would consist of dealing with clients’ DIY hair disasters.

One hairdresser eager to get going was planning to open at midnight on the first day of trading. Katie Hancock, of The Chair, in Canterbury, Kent, said she intended to open for 16 hours, from midnight to 4pm, on July 4.

The owner and another member of her team would work through the night, with the rest of the staff joining in the morning. She said: “Obviously the health and safety of our clients and stylists is the priority. All of our services will take a bit longer than usual.”

Louise Howard-long, owner of Architect Hair Salon in Leeds, said she had sold more than £7,000 worth of vouchers during lockdown, which would give clients priority, but had to suspend the scheme because the high demand meant that she would have been unable to serve the priority clients quickly enough.

She said: “We have been receiving so many emails. I have been trying to reply to them all individually, to keep it feeling personal.”

Ms Ward said the waiting list now stood at more than 2,000 names, and she estimated it would take three months to attend to them all.

She said: “It will take a while – partly because we have to see what they have done to their hair during lockdown – to work out how long each booking will take.”

Hilary Hall, of the trade body the National Hair and Beauty Federation, said she was aware of high demand for salons but that they were ready to meet the challenge.

She said: “Salons plan to open longer hours than before to both ensure they meet client demand and, if possible, run a shift system for staff to keep them safe and well.”