Bars, restaurants, libraries, theaters, hotels, and places of worship can open from 4 July in England, when the social distancing restrictions will be eased. The announcement includes cinemas, museums, and other like places. They will reopen for the first time after coronavirus lockdown in the UK was enforced.
The ease in restrictions will permit two families to gather internally in their house. They can stay overnight by following social distancing procedures. They will be allowed to dine, drink, and eat together but cannot hug each other.
All of these reopening places are expected to keep all the information regarding the visitors. This information can be later used by authorities in the case of a fresh outbreak of covid19.
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Concert halls, theatres, and all like places will be reopened but cannot host performances live. Because of the risk that the virus can spread through singing. Hairdressers, theme parks, bingo halls, campsites, workplace canteens, and caravan parks will reopen but they need to follow social distancing rules.
The venues which will remain shut include casinos, swimming pools, skating rinks, spas, massage parlors, nightclubs, indoor gyms, bowling alleys, nail bars, and tattoo parlors.
Rules regarding people meeting outside of their homes will be changed slightly. At present six people from a maximum of six families can meet outdoors following social distancing. The change in this rule will allow people to meet an unrestricted number of friends from a single household or five friends belonging to different households.
Hairdressers will reopen, which will finally allow the residents of the UK to have their hair cut after 3 months of coronavirus lockdown in the UK. However, nail saloons will not be allowed to reopen as they include people sitting face to face.
Weddings will be allowed with a maximum attendance of 30 people. However, receptions will not be permitted. Sports will be permitted but people can only with their household.
The cabinet this morning approved the changes in the lockdown after Senior Ministers and PM took the advice of PM’s Scientific Advisory Group on Emergencies (SAGE).
The battle against coronavirus was centrally based on the government’s 2-meter rule. As the number of cases is declining daily this rule will be reduced to one meter plus rule. One meter plus rule will allow people to be closer if they wear a mask or sit side by side.
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The question we need to ask now is whether it is too soon to ease the restrictions on coronavirus lockdown in the UK. The number of cases has fallen by a huge margin. Before the lockdown, the daily cases were approx. 100,000 and now, they have reduced to just 1000 a day. Therefore, we can see huge progress there. But the numbers are still higher as compared to other countries.
Experts including Sir David King, former government advisor, are concerned that it is too early for the restrictions to ease. But if the government does not lift the restrictions it will cost the economy of the country and to society as a whole. We will know whether it was a good judgment call or not in the coming weeks.