The four step route to freedom in England
All schools in England are to reopen on March 8 as part of the prime minister’s ‘cautious’ plan to lift the coronavirus lockdown ...
STEP 1 From March 8
■ All schools will open with outdoor after-school sports and activities allowed
■ Recreation in a public space - such as a park - will be allowed between two people, meaning they would be allowed to sit down for a coffee, drink or picnic
■ Secondary school pupils will be required to wear face coverings in classrooms and shared spaces like corridors.
STEP 2 From April 12
■ Non-essential retail opens, hairdressers and public buildings like libraries and museums
■ Outdoor settings like alcohol takeaways, beer gardens, zoos and theme parks
■ Indoor leisure like swimming pools and gyms ■ Self-contained holiday accommodation, such as self-catering lets and camp sites
■ Wider social contact rules will continue to apply in all settings - meaning no indoor mixing between different households will be allowed.
■ Funerals continue with up to 30 people, and weddings with up to 15 guests.
STEP 3 From May 17
■ The ‘rule of six’ abolished for outdoor gatherings, replaced with a limit of 30 people:
■ Two households can mix indoors - with the rule of six applied in hospitality settings like pubs
■ Cinemas, hotels, performances and sporting events reopen - though social distancing remains
■ Up to 10,000 spectators can attend the very largest outdoor seated venues like football stadiums
■ Up to 30 people will be able to attend weddings, receptions, funerals and wakes.
STEP 4 From June 21
■ All legal limits on social contact removed, with the final closed sectors of the economy reopened - such as nightclubs.
■ Restrictions on weddings and funerals will also be abolished.
From March 29
■ Outdoor gatherings of either six people or two households will be allowed. It is understood this will include gatherings in private gardens
■ Outdoor sports facilities such as tennis or basketball courts will reopen and organised adult and children’s sport, such as grassroots football, will also return