Shops will open from Monday... but the wait for pubs goes on

SHOPS in England will be allowed to reopen on Monday – but pubs, restaurants and hairdressers miss out until next month.

The decision gives the green light to non-essential retailers – such as clothes shops, booksellers and electrical stores – that have been shut down since the lockdown started on March 23.

They will have to limit customer numbers and promote the two-metre rule as well as put up a sign saying ‘Covid secure’. Shops breaching the rules face warnings, fines and potentially being shut down.

Business Secretary Alok Sharma said pubs, restaurants and hairdressers would have to wait until at least July 4. At the daily Downing Street press conference, he said: ‘ This is the latest step in the careful restarting of our economy and will enable high streets up and down the country to spring back to life.’

Essential shops such as supermarkets have been open throughout the lockdown, although they have had to operate strict social distancing.

Some outdoor retailers such as garden centres were allowed to reopen last month because the virus is not believed to spread as easily outside.

Mr Sharma said shops should reopen ‘ when they are able to follow the guidelines giving confidence to both staff and customers that they are opening safely’.

He added: ‘This means that any business that opens must complete a Covid-19 specific risk assessment and take the necessary steps to manage those risks as is their legal obligation.

‘As part of the guidance, we have provided a notice that businesses should visibly display in their shop window or outside their door to show their customers that they have read and taken steps to follow the guidance.

‘If a shop reopens without putting in place responsible steps to reduce the transmission of the virus, we can take a range of actions including issuing enforcement notices.’

Addressing the issue of bars and the hospitality industry, he said: ‘There’s been a lot of speculation about when we might be able to reopen these parts of the economy and I completely understand why we are so keen to get them up and running, and I share that enthusiasm.

‘But we continue to follow the roadmap which sets out our ambition to reopen these sectors on 4 July at the earliest.’

He said the Government would provide guidance in good time to allow these businesses to prepare.

And he said he could not give an answer on when UK holidays would be allowed again, merely saying it would happen in a ‘phased manner’.

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‘Specific risk assessment’