Shops, restaurants, pubs and a number of other non-essential businesses will reopen in England on Monday as the country continues its vaccination against coronavirus.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the easing of restrictions in a statement last week. Hairdressers, beauty and nail salons, gyms and spas are also one of the non-essential retail locations that will reopen.
Public buildings such as libraries and community centers and outdoor environments and attractions, including zoos, theme parks, drive-in theaters and drive-in performances, will also reopen on Monday.
Restaurants and bars may also be reopened for outdoor service only, without customers having to purchase a substantial meal with alcohol. In addition, curfews will be lifted in some places.
However, customers will still have to sit while eating and drinking.
Outdoor gatherings will still be limited to six people or two households, and indoor gatherings will still be prohibited with ‘someone you do not live with or with whom you have not formed a support bubble.’
According to Johnson, the country decided to move on to the next phase of reopening after the data confirmed that the government’s four tests’ needed to ease restrictions.
According to the statement, the assessment is based on the country’s vaccine deployment program, evidence demonstrating the vaccine’s effectiveness in reducing hospitalizations and deaths, infection rates that do not jeopardize an increase in hospitalizations, and as an “assessment of the risks are not materially changed. by new variants of concern. ”
The statement also noted that before the restrictions eased, the government “studied the latest data to assess the impact of the first step, which began when schools reopened on March 8.”
Johnson, The Associated Press, had earlier promised to visit a bar for a pint to mark the reopening, but has since postponed the celebration to the death of Prince Philip, the husband of Queen Elizabeth II.
According to the UK’s Coronavirus website, more than 27 million initial vaccine doses have been administered in England.
According to The New York Times, more than 4.3 million cases of coronavirus have been reported in the UK and more than 127,000 deaths have been confirmed.