The 2 metre social distancing rule will be reduced to 1 metre from July 4.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson made the announcement to Parliament today (June 23), saying a distance of one metre plus could be observed from July 4 with mitigating measures such as avoiding face to face seating, reducing the number of people in an enclosed space, increasing ventilation and the use of masks, screens and sanitisers.
The PM said: “This vital change enables the next stage of our plan to ease the lock down.”
The distancing will now be guidance rather than legislation relying on “the general public’s common sense.”
From July 4 two household of any size will now be able to meet up, indoors or outdoors. This does not have to be the same two households, meaning for instance one visit could be one set of grandparents and the next one, a different set of grandparents.
Families/groups can also stay overnight.
The July 4 date has also now been confirmed for the reopening of restaurants, pubs, hotels, bed and breakfast, campsites with overnight guests allowed as long as all shared facilities are kept clean and Covid secure measures are in place.
Hospitality trades will need to limit contact to table service and encourage minimal staff/customer contact.
Venues will also collect contact details that can be used for test and trace is needed.
Hairdressers can also reopen, using visors, but nail bars do not yet have the go-ahead.
The reopening date also applies to venues such as theme parks, cinemas, outdoor gyms, play areas, galleries, arcades and community centres.
But nightclubs, swimming pools, soft play areas, bowling alleys and indoor gyms must, f0or now, remain closed.
The PM said: “At every stage, caution will remain our watchword, and each step will be conditional and reversible.”
Primary and secondary education will resume in September with full attendance.
The PM added: “As we have seen in other countries, there will be flare-ups for which local measures will be needed and we will not hesitate to apply the brakes and re-introduce restrictions even at national level – if required.”
A recipe for disaster.
Too much, too soon.
Just look at what’s happening in Germany.
So as ever not that clear, When you have people round your house are we supposed to stay 1m apart, easily dont in some houses but not others
I’m sticking with the old guidelines, working from home and only going out locally for essential shopping. Hairdressers can open but not nail bars (I am not desperate for either) but nail bars would be far easier than hairdressers to open imo. A simple screen you only need to put your hands through. You have to trust the hospitality trade to be cleaning as they should, I won’t be using them yet either. Waiting for the spike that sadly will come.
Great news, The Turner Centre can reopen. So it can close again at the beginning of September till January, for a refit. I think I will have to see if they have any job vacancies. Nice work if you can get it.
You would think they could have got all the work done whilst closed for the 3.5 months using PPE to safeguard but no, it doesn’t matter as they survive on KCC and European arts grants. No hardship for them!
What a mess.
Shambolic rambling announcement.
Daily updates to end. All back to normal.
Apart from Kids at school and going swimming. Everything else now safe. Can have two households together inside and can meet as many different house holds as you like. Work places given green light to only keep 1m apart and no right of worker to flag up issues.
No science here. Just all about money.
First allow the shielded out even though science isn’t there and now basically a free for all Wild West approach apart from Gyms and Pools.
Lunacy.
Have to agree, it is all about getting people back to work , if we catch it Boris has his herd immunity which lets face it was always his alleged plan
Just as the shops and councils ordered all their expensive signs to go up ready for the public back to normal Boris goes and changes it from 2 meters to 1 meter. Well you can’t get enough people in the shops and kids can’t all go back to school unless they reduce the social distancing down, is what he has been told. None of it makes sense, what a complete shambles this Government has been with the coronavirus pandemic in the UK. We were being told that we could be in lockdown until the autumn or winter but already we are coming out when the rate is still high enough to start a second wave just when everyone is thinking it’s all over, due to the shambolic governing. Their easing of restrictions is coming too fast without time to test the water first, so to speak. But Boris is desperate for a hair cut so everything is ok now, yeah sure!
Bumbling Boris Baffling B******t. It’s all about money! Does anyone have any idea what the hell he was on about? Just seen him alongside two scientists who clearly think he’s bonkers but look like they have to be seen to agree with the Buffoon. Still hundreds of furloughed covidiots hitting our beaches, playing into the main game which is to get the herd immunity they’ve been trying to push from the start. Meantime, don’t believe any of it he hasn’t got a clue!
I have been waiting to see when I could use the word omnishambles, and Bingo, Blustering Boris never let me down, he and his government are clueless!
Just to be clear: the rule is still 2m. But in certain circumstances (pubs, caffs etc) it can be reduced to 1+. Which means one metre, plus additional safeguards, such as screens, or face coverings.
Though how you will manage to drink a pint or tuck into a double mac whilst wearing a face mask, I don’t know.
For me, I’ll bide my time, and see how the local “R” number and so on go.
The rule is 2m except where it can’t be 2m then 1m if possible don’t use public transport unless you have to use public transport work from home unless you can’t work from home but spend money and go to shops.
Clear as mud.
“Do what you like and don’t blame us” would have been a better message.
Well, it’s quite clear to me.
The fundamental rule is keep yourself safe.
You do that by staying as far away as you can from others.
If it’s quite impossible for you to do that, then you take other steps to protect yourself, such as wearing a face covering.
I hope this helps.
Well said Tony, only stupìd thick people cant understand that. I think a national id card for all should be used to help track and trace.
what the failed track and trace, and id cards for what reason would be a good idea?
Easy swipe with each purchase of ànything like a tesco card then you and others in the samè outlets can be traced
Thing is ID cards have never gone down well, ,if your average person cant use common sense to stay away from the beaches like maegate yesterday for example then i imagine these would be the same people outraged at id cards and the “police state” they think they stand for.
All ŕhè cards we use and i pads phones ètc are all ids so a national card you can swipe will make no diffeeence
If you say so, people have been kicking off about ID cards since 2010 . i may have a smart phone but i wont be downloading the trace and track app from that dodgy chap ..
Whats the point in crippling the economy beyond repair with measures that are going to make little difference given the behaviour of many? All those so worried about covid should look at their own health and ensure thay have a reasonable
Bmi and level of fitness. This alone would reduce the long term effects of infection for millions of people.
The elderly and those with underlying conditions ( that can’t be mitigated with a healthy lifestyle) need to be shielded , this would be a far better use of resources.
People seem to want 100% safety which is nonsense if it were the case they’d all stop drinking, smoking, eating poor food and exercise etc, but as that would need some personal responsibility/choice it doesn’t happen. Yet if the finger can be pointed at authority there is no shortage of opinion.
Want to save the nhs then do something about the countries exces weight and obesity problem, the link with negative covid outcomes is plain (ask any frontline nhs worker) , it’d also help hugely with the rate and seriousness of diabetes (another significant factor with covid, bot hard to see the link between excess weight and diabetes).
But no we’ll sacrifice the elderly and infirm unable to look after themselves to protect those that have adopted unhealthy lifestyles.
Yes I’m aware that there are those that have medically related weight problems, but these are a tiny minority.