England will take a ‘considerable step back to normality’ on Monday when Boris Johnson moves the country further out of lockdown measures.
The Prime Minister said that from the start of next week the rule of six that has applied to outdoors meetings will now extend indoors.
From May 17 people will be able to sit inside a pub and inside a restaurant, which comes as a massive boost to the fraught hospitality industry.
Today we have announced the single biggest step on our roadmap and it will allow us to do many of the things we have yearned to do for a long time.
So let’s protect these gains by continuing to exercise caution and commonsense.
— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) May 10, 2021
Cinemas will be open and children will be able to use indoor play areas. Hostels, hotels and B&Bs are all reopening.
Mr Johnson added: “We’ll re-open the doors of our theatres, concert halls and business conference centres and unlock the turnstiles of our sports stadia, subject to capacity limits.
“And from next week everyone will be able to travel within Britain and stay overnight, meaning schools will also be able to organise trips with overnight stays.”
Face coverings in classrooms will no longer be mandatory – nor for students in communal areas in secondary schools and colleges.
University students will be able to return to in-person teaching, where they should be tested twice a week.
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The PM added: “We will increase the number of named visitors for those in care homes from two to five, and residents will have greater freedoms to leave their home without having to isolate on their return.
“This unlocking amounts to a very considerable step on the road back to normality.”
Richard Burge, Chief Executive of the London Chamber of Commerce & Industry, said: “The reopening of indoor hospitality, this time without curfew, along with more of London’s cultural and entertainment venues, is another milestone on the road to economic recovery.
“Allowing these sectors to again open indoors is vital to so many businesses and employees right across the capital, including the renowned cultural offer in central London.
“It will start to feel like our city again, and we want everyone to come and enjoy it.”
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