ROADMAP TO FREEDOM April 12 lockdown rules: Everything you can and can’t do from next week
BORIS Johnson's roadmap out of lockdown continues apace – and tonight he'll reveal the next steps towards freedom.
The next stage of unlocking is due to take place on April 12, when non-essential shops and hairdressers will be able to open their doors.
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Pubs and restaurants with outdoor space will also be able to open to punters.
But there are more big changes set to be announced too – with many would-be world travellers keeping their fingers crossed that a timetable will be set for holidays abroad.
It comes as…
- Brits will offered two free Covid tests a week as a new single-shot jab looks set to save foreign holidays
- Boris Johnson prepares to make four big lockdown announcements today
- Covid deaths halve in a week while cases are the lowest they've been since last August
- British clubbers will hit the dance floor as part of a new trial next week
- There are hopes for holidays in Turkey, Cyprus, Greece and the Caribbean this summer
Overnight, the Government announced that everyone in England will be offered free rapid Covid tests twice a week.
It's hoped the tests will allow Brits to get back into offices, as well as enjoying their leisure time without worry.
Mr Johnson will vow at tonight’s press conference that the plan will help the country unlock and give people the confidence to get out and about again.
Elsewhere, the PM is expected to shed light on the new traffic light system.
Summer holiday hotspots will be ranked under the lights system — letting Brits fly to "green" countries with low Covid rates and strong vaccine rollouts.
What will reopen on April 12?
Mr Johnson said that non-essential retailers can reopen from this date, as long as strict conditions are met.
This is understood to include:
- Clothing shops
- Homeware shops
- Toy shops
- Vehicle showrooms (other than for rental)
- Betting shops
- Tailors
- Tobacco and vape shops
- Electronic goods shops
- Mobile phone shops
- Auction houses (except for auctions of livestock or agricultural equipment)
- Market stalls selling non-essential goods
Other businesses that are expected to reopen as part of the plans include:
- Pubs (outdoor service only)
- Restaurants (outdoor service only)
- Hairdressers
- Gyms (indoor exercising – but no classes)
- Beauty salons
- Spas
- Libraries
- Theme parks
- Drive-in cinemas
- Drive-in performances
- Zoos
- Community centres
The move will see Bahrain, Dubai, Iceland, the Maldives and the US top destination wish lists, but nations with high virus cases and slow jab rollouts will require more quarantining.
And it's been revealed that every pub-goer must check-in with the NHS Covid app to get a pint from April 12.
Under the new rules, all punters must be contact-traced via the app or by giving their contact details when a group enters a pub or restaurant.
All drinkers must scan their NHS app when they go to a boozer, which means it'll be possible to tell them to book a test immediately if they sit near someone who has Covid.
The PM has ditched hates rules like the 10pm curfew and the facial substantial meal requirement that saw diners forced to order Scotch eggs and bowls of chips with their pints.
But social distancing measures will still have to remain in place, meaning pubs will be table service only and groups will be capped at a maximum of six people.
When Mr Johnson first announced his "cautious but irreversible" roadmap, he revealed all non-essential retail – including clothing shops, homeware stores and market stalls – can open from April 12 if cases are still being forced down.
The UK yesterday recorded 10 deaths – the joint-lowest in more than six months – and just 2,297 new cases, the lowest since August 30.
And in even better news, Britain now has one of the lowest Covid death rates in Europe – while the number of people dying of all causes is at its lowest level since 2014, in spite of the pandemic.
Covid deaths here may be dropping so sharply because fewer over-70s are falling ill in the first place.
In 52 areas of England, there have been no new cases of Covid in that age group for more than a week.
It paves the way for Mr Johnson's roadmap to continue as planned.
And unkempt Brits will be thrilled to know hairdressers and salons will be able to welcome customers back in just a week.
Indoor leisure centres – including gyms – will be allowed to open, while outdoor attractions like zoos, theme parks and drive-in cinemas will also throw open their doors.
The rules will be relaxed to allow 30 people to attend funeral services while weddings and wakes will be allowed to have 15 people.
Overnight stays away from home with your household will also be back on the cards, meaning the sex ban for couples living in different houses will be over.
Driving tests will also be able to start up again for people keen to get their licence.
Elsewhere, the number of care home visitors will be increased to two per resident.
Timeline for businesses reopening after lockdown
PRIME Minister Boris Johnson has outlined his roadmap for easing England out of lockdown.
Businesses will be allowed to reopen on the following dates, as long as the "four steps to freedom" are met. Here's what we know so far:
April 12
- Retail
- Hospitality outdoors
- Hairdressers
- Zoos
- Self-catered staycations with one household
May 17
- Indoor hospitality
- Indoor exercise gyms
- Bingo halls
- Cinemas
- Sports stadiums to reopen but capped to 10,000 fans
- Saunas
- Spas
June 21
- Nightclubs
Libraries and community centres will also be able to open back up, with the roadmap saying: "All public spaces have important benefits that help create local attachments and sense of belonging to a community."
However, things still won't be completely back to to normal for some months yet.
Mr Johnson has warned that loosening restrictions is based on "data, not dates".
Four key tests must be passed for unlocking to continue – the continued vaccination of the population, that jabs are working, that infection rates are not threatening the NHS, and there are no threatening new strains of the bug.
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It is hoped the country’s 54 million adults will be offered a jab by the end of July with the most vulnerable having received both vaccine doses by May.
The roadmap began when schools reopened on March 8.
On March 29, Brits were able to enjoy outdoor garden parties while following the rule of six or two household restriction.
Boris Johnson ‘to give green light to holidays abroad from May 17’ as five million Brits are vaccinated and deaths tumbleOriginal Article
