Lockdown easing is 'worrying' says Sir David King

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Lockdown easing efforts will move to the next stage in England, as confirmed by Prime Minister Boris Johnson last week. Announcing the changes on Monday, April 5, Mr Johnson said the lockdown relaxation was “fully justified”, but urged the public to continue being careful. The Prime Minister has also said he doesn’t expect changes to the vaccine rollout for people under 30 amid AstraZeneca safety concerns will affect the schedule for easing lockdown restrictions. He said: “I don’t think that anything I have seen leads me to suppose that we will have to change the road map or deviate from the road map in any way.” Here’s everything you need to know about lockdown rule changes on April 12.

From Monday, the following will reopen to the public:

• Non-essential retail, including clothes and electronics shops
• Outdoor hospitals, including beer gardens and coffee shops
• Personal care premises, including hairdressers, nail salons and spas
• Public buildings such as libraries and community centres
• Indoor leisure facilities, including gyms – but only to be used by people on their own or in household groups
• The majority of outdoor attractions, including zoos, theme parks and aquariums
• Self-contained accommodation, such as campsites and holiday lets

Hospitality reopening is probably one of the biggest highlights of April 12, as thousands will flock to get a pint throughout the course of Monday.

One major change is that venues won’t have to serve alcohol alongside a substantial meal anymore, and there’s no 10pm curfew either.

However, the requirement to eat and drink while staying seated will remain, and this will also apply while ordering.

Social distancing rules continue to apply as well, with outdoor gatherings still subject to the rule of six or two households.

Things you will be able to do from Monday include:

• Parent and children groups, up to 15 people (not counting children under five) can restart indoors
• The number of care home visitors will increase to two per resident
• All children will be able to attend indoor children’s activities, including sport
• Soft play facilities will remain closed until Step Three

What can’t you do still?

Although the rules are easing in a number of areas, the restrictions aren’t fully on their way out meaning there’s still a lot of things Brits won’t be able to do after Monday.

You cannot have any indoor social gatherings with anyone outside of your household or support bubble.

Changes to this rule will only come in on May 17, at the very earliest.

Pubs, restaurants and other hospitality will still work on an outdoor and table-service only basis.

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Travel overseas is still not permissible, aside from a tiny number of exceptions including travelling for work.

Overnight stays can only go ahead in self-contained accommodation, meaning holiday rentals are fine but hotels and B&Bs are still shut for now.

Nightclubs, soft play centres, saunas and steam rooms are all still out of bounds for the time being.

Aside from the Covid certification pilot schemes, in-person entertainment like theatres and comedy clubs are still yet to make a comeback.

Monday will see the country officially enter step two, with implemented changes detailed above.

Step Three of the Government’s roadmap is scheduled for May 17, and should see most limits on outdoor and indoor gatherings unlocked.

Overnight stays will be re-introduced in step three, as will hospitality venues serving customers indoors.

May 17 is also the date it’s hoped international travel will begin to reopen, subject to a ‘traffic lights’ system of testing measures and quarantines.

Step Four is expected after June 21, by which point the Government hopes to remove all legal limitations on social contact.

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