‘Our hibernation is beginning to end, the bustle is coming back’
Two households allowed to meet under same roof from July 4, Johnson reveals, in major easing of lockdown
BORIS JOHNSON hailed the beginning of the end of Britain’s “national hibernation” yesterday as he announced the biggest return of freedoms since lockdown began.
The Prime Minister said families and friends would be able to mingle indoors and even go on holiday together from July 4, when pubs and restaurants will also reopen and the two-metre rule will be reduced to one metre.
However, Chris Whitty, the Chief Medical Officer, warned that many of new social distancing measures would have to remain in place “until this time next year” because a coronavirus vaccine is still a long way off.
Mr Johnson announced that domestic tourism would be up and running again with hotels, guesthouses and campsites allowed to open on July 4, along with hairdressers, cinemas and almost every type of tourist attraction.
However, gyms, swimming pools, nightclubs, indoor sports facilities and concert venues were among the losers – with no date for reopening.
The public was told they must still work from home where possible, and consider alternatives to public transport if they can. There was no update on how all pupils will return to school.
Mr Johnson said: “Today we can say that our long national hibernation is beginning to come to an end and life is returning to our streets and to our shops, the bustle is starting to come back and a new but cautious optimism is palpable.
“But I must say it will 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, to carry us through and to see us to victory over this virus.”
His announcement effectively signals the end of lockdown, which will be replaced with a set of complicated rules governing everything from how we see our families to having a pint.
The Prime Minister said July 4 would be “a great day” and urged people to get out and “enjoy themselves”.
He cautioned that there would inevitably be further “local” outbreaks, but said he did not believe there was a risk of a second wave of infections that could overwhelm the NHS.
He said a steady drop in infections meant churches could open for communal worship and weddings with up to 30 guests could take place.
Two households will be able to meet indoors – at home, in a pub, restaurant or on a shared holiday – and even stay overnight, though they must stay at least one metre apart.
There will be no limit on how many households can meet, as long as they stick to only two households at a time, meaning families will not have to choose between grandparents. They will, however, have to wait before they can hug each other.
Mr Johnson said people should stay two metres apart where possible, but where they cannot they can be within one metre of each other as long as they mitigate that with measures such as face masks or good ventilation.
The move will enable pubs, restaurants, cinemas and other venues to open on July 4.
Mr Johnson acknowledged that many of the things he was looking forward to, such as going to the theatre and playing cricket, were still banned, but insisted yesterday’s measures were not “the summit of our ambitions”.
The Prime Minister confirmed that pubs and restaurants would be expected to keep a register of their customers so that outbreaks could be swiftly contained.
He said of July 4: “I hope it will be a great day, but obviously people have got to make sure they don’t overdo it. And we can’t have great, sort of, raving scenes in the beer gardens where the virus could be passed on.”
Mr Johnson said the virus had “not gone away” and he would not hesitate to “apply the brakes” and reintroduce restrictions if required, even at a national level if needed.
Prof Whitty said the virus would remain for “a very long time” because a vaccine was unlikely to be in use before next year.
He added: “I would be surprised and delighted if we weren’t in this current situation, through the winter, and into
next spring. I expect there to be a significant amount of coronavirus circulating at least into that time. For the short to medium term, until this time next year, certainly, I think we should be planning for this, for what I consider to be a long haul out into 2021.”
Yesterday, the British Medical Association called for face coverings to be worn in shops, schools, and even in homes when guests are present.
A snap Yougov poll found 47 per cent of the public thought the changes to lockdown were “about right” with 37 per cent thinking Mr Johnson had gone too far and seven per cent saying he had not gone far enough.
By Gordon Rayner POLITICAL EDITOR
FAMILIES will be allowed to meet groups of relations or friends indoors for the first time since lockdown began – but there will be a ban on hugging or touching.
From July 4, any two households can meet under the same roof, and even stay overnight, as long as they observe social distancing.
Families could invite one set of grandparents for lunch, then see the other grandparents for dinner, as long as they are not inside at the same time.
The rule also allows any two households to meet in a pub, restaurant, museum, cinema or even to go on holiday together.
There will be no limit on how many people can gather together, as long as no more than two households are meeting at the same time.
Physical contact will not be allowed, however, meaning grandparents still cannot hug grandchildren and couples cannot touch each other if they live in households with other people in them.
Boris Johnson said: “From now on we will ask people to follow guidance on social contact instead of legislation.
“In that spirit we advise that from July 4, two households of any size should be able to meet in any setting inside or out. That does not mean they must always be the same two households. It will be possible for instance to meet one set of grandparents one weekend, and the others the following weekend.
“We are not recommending meetings of multiple households indoors because of the risk of creating greater chains of transmission.”
Mr Johnson added: “The British public have proved again and again that they can be trusted to do the right thing and do it with common sense.”
The Government decided against an alternative plan to allow two entire households to form one “social bubble”, partly because it would have forced families to choose which set of relations they could see.
Existing rules that allow up to six people from up to six different households to meet outdoors remain in place, as does the rule that allows someone living alone to join a “support bubble” with another household and be treated as if they live in the same home.
Downing Street admitted people would need to show a lot of discipline and restraint to adhere to the rules, but stressed that if the virus started to spread again the changes would be swiftly reversed.
Mr Johnson said the number of people with coronavirus had fallen from an average of 1 in 400 people a month ago to 1 in 1,700 now, with the number of new infections declining by between two and four per cent every day.
Hospital admissions were down from more than 1,000 a day in early May to just 283 by June 20.
Mr Johnson said: “Thanks to our progress, we can now go further and safely ease the lockdown in England.
“At every stage, caution will remain our watchword, and each step will be conditional and reversible.
“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.”
A No 10 spokesman said: “Your household will be able to link with one other household at a time, which includes staying over at someone’s house.
“This is not a bubble because households should continue to remain socially distant from one another when they are indoors or outdoors, so they will need to stay two metres apart or follow the new one-metre plus advice.”
The one-metre plus rule means staying one metre apart with extra precautions, including better ventilation, face coverings, facing away from each other or being outside.
Sir Keir Starmer, the Labour leader, broadly welcomed the changes, saying: “I believe that the Government are trying to do the right thing, and in that we will support them. There are no easy decisions to be made here.
“Any unlocking carries risks. It has to be phased, managed and carefully planned; it needs to be based on scientific evidence, properly communicated and accompanied by robust track and trace systems; and there must be support for local councils and communities to respond quickly and decisively if there are any fresh outbreaks.
“But there are risks of inaction as well – of keeping businesses and schools closed, of keeping our economy closed, and of keeping families apart. We all need to recognise that.”
Prof Chris Whitty, the chief medical officer, said it was “critical” that people continue to take social distancing “really seriously” when households meet up “because if we don’t take them seriously, then chains of transmission between households will be established”.
Prof Whitty added that some measures might have to be reintroduced in the winter if the virus, which thrives in cold weather, starts to increase again.
‘The British public have proved again and again that they can be trusted to do the right thing’