Opening up for business
But PM urges caution as lockdown restrictions ease
BORIS Johnson has urged the nation to “behave responsibly” when pub gardens reopen and restaurants resume outdoor dining in a major easing of England’s lockdown today.
Shops deemed non-essential will also reopen today, as will hairdressers, indoor gyms, swimming pools, nail salons and zoos in another stride back towards normality. However, social mixing indoors will remain heavily restricted, with around 40% of adults yet to receive their first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine.
The Prime Minister urged caution during the “major step forward” as a scientist advising the Government warned the rules must be followed to minimise a possible rebound in case numbers. “I’m sure it will be a huge relief for those business owners who have been closed for so long, and for everyone else it’s a chance to get back to doing some of the things we love and have missed,” Mr Johnson said.
“I urge everyone to continue to behave responsibly and remember ‘hands, face, space and fresh air’ to suppress Covid as we push on with our vaccination programme.”
The fanfare for the easing of restrictions has been muted by the national mourning for the Duke of Edinburgh.
Mr Johnson postponed his celebratory pint and Government communications have been pared back to essential messages after Philip’s death on Friday at the age of 99.
Professor Peter Horby, chairman of the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (Nervtag), told Times Radio: “The watchword has got to be caution really.
“It’s not clear exactly when or how big it will be, but there is, I think, inevitably going to be a bit of a rebound in the number of cases
when things are relaxed.”
The Oxford University academic said the vaccination programme will minimise hospital admissions and deaths but warned it will not be completely effective.
“Now the extent of it really depends on how well we comply with the ongoing restrictions, so we really have to take this step by step,” he added.
“I think we can be joyful and enjoy the freedoms but we’ve still got to realise there’s still a large number of people who’ve not been infected or vaccinated and so they will be at risk.”
In England, pubs and restaurants have been making changes during lockdown to maximise their ability to serve customers outside.
But the British Beer and Pub Association estimates that just 40% of licensed premises have the space to reopen for outdoor service.
The previous 10pm curfew rule and the requirement to order a substantial meal with a drink have been scrapped, but social distancing must be observed.
Domestic holidays can resume to an extent, with overnight stays permitted in self-contained accommodation, such as holiday lets and campsites where indoor facilities are not shared. But these can only be used by members of the same household or support bubble.
International holidays remain banned until an unknown date, amid a row over the cost of testing. People will not be allowed to visit each other’s homes, with socialising indoors still prohibited outside support bubbles.
It will be the third in a series of easings since the third national lockdown was legally imposed in England on January 6.
The next significant date is May 17, when socialising indoors will be permitted under the “rule of six” – if the Prime Minister judges that the vaccination programme is safely breaking the link between infections and deaths. After three months of full national lockdown, the Government said on Saturday that a further 40 people had died in the UK within 28 days of a positive Covid-19 test. Another 2,589 lab-confirmed cases were also announced.
More than 60% of adults have received at least one dose of a vaccine, according to official figures saying 32 million people have had a jab.
Outdoor attractions and self-catering accommodation providers are preparing for a rush of visitors when they reopen today.
Steve Jarvis, co-founder of website Independent Cottages, said that although properties in the popular tourist destinations of Cornwall and Devon are 95% booked up, other areas are “catching up quickly”.
He added that the common practice of organising foreign holidays far in advance but leaving domestic breaks until the last-minute has “turned on its head”.