Boris Johnson announced the second stage of his road map out of lockdown will go ahead as planned during a Downing Street press conference on Easter Monday.
The Prime Minister unveiled his four-stage plan to lead the country out of a third national lockdown in February.
Pupils across England returned to the classrooms on March 8 in the first stage of Mr Johnson’s plan to lead the country out of lockdown.
On March 29, groups of up to six people were allowed to gather outside in parks or public gardens ahead of Easter Bank Holiday weekend.
Outdoor sports facilities such as tennis and basketball courts returned, as well as organised adult and children’s sport including grassroots football and golf
The “stay at home” order ended, and the Government encouraged people to stay local where possible instead.
The main focus of the Prime Minister’s Downing Street press conference on Monday was to confirm that stage two of the road map will go ahead as planned on April 12.
So, with stage two set to go ahead next week, people in England will be able to enjoy a number of freedoms they have had to go without for months.
This will include non-essential shops, beer gardens, hairdressers and gyms.
Here is a full list of businesses allowed to reopen on Monday April 12.
- 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)
- 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
When will further changes be announced?
So far, the road map has continued to go ahead on schedule however ministers have stressed that these dates are subject to change based on the data.
That means there is a chance further easing of restrictions planned for next month may not happen on May 17 as planned, if the four tests are not met.
Those four tests are:
the vaccine deployment programme continues successfully
evidence shows vaccines are sufficiently effective in reducing hospitalisations and deaths in those vaccinated
infection rates do not risk a surge in hospitalisations which would put unsustainable pressure on the NHS
assessment of the risks is not fundamentally changed by new Variants of Concern
On Monday, Mr Johnson, setting out the move to the second step of the road map on Monday, said the shift was "fully justified by the data".
He said that he had seen "nothing" to make him think he would have to "deviate" from his intention to scrap all restrictions by June 21 at the earliest.
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