LONDON, April 11 (Reuters) – England’s shops, hairdressers, gyms and bar gardens will reopen on Monday in what Prime Minister Boris Johnson said was an ‘important step’ towards freedom from the restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hundreds of thousands of businesses have been shut down since early January when England shut down for a third time to stem emerging infections caused by the “Kent” variant of the virus.
A vaccination campaign that first delivered to more than half of the adults, and the closure measures, reduced deaths by more than 95% and cases by more than 90% from the January peak.
Sunday’s seven deaths within 28 days after a positive COVID test are the lowest daily death rate according to this measure since 14 September.
Johnson will say earlier this month that the progress of the closure can be applied gradually, adding that he is looking forward to a pint in a bar garden.
“I’m sure it will be a great relief for the business owners who have been closed for so long, and for everyone else it’s a chance to do things again that we love and that we missed,” he said. said. statement Sunday.
“I urge everyone to continue to act responsibly and remember ‘hands, face, space and fresh air’ to suppress COVID as we continue our vaccination program.”
With more than 127,000 deaths, the UK has the fifth highest death toll in the world due to COVID-19.
Convincing people to return to some sort of normality and start spending again is the key to Britain’s recovery after official data last month showed that 2020 was the worst year for its economy in more than three centuries.
British retailers, who have lost an estimated 27 billion pounds ($ 37 billion) in sales, hope that pent-up demand will fuel a boom in trade.
Non-essential stores, such as home and fashion chains, will reopen in Wales as well as England on Monday, although those in Scotland will have to wait until April 26.
Bars and restaurants will only be able to serve outdoors from Monday, although early rules requiring meals to be served with drinks and evening clock have been scrapped. Indoor service will only be allowed on May 17th.
$ 1 = 0.7296 pounds Reporting by Paul Sandle. Edited by Jane Merriman