PM calls for “heavy dose of caution” as restrictions lift
Coronavirus restrictions have eased for millions of people across England, Wales and Scotland today, with hugging, indoor socialising and foreign holidays now allowed.
Under stage three of Boris Johnson’s roadmap for lifting lockdown restrictions, people in England can now meet indoors in homes, pubs and restaurants, although the “rule of six” still applies.
The government is allowing people to choose whether to socially distance with family and friends when they meet up, although ministers have urged people to think carefully about the risks of hugging.
The changes also provide a major boost for leisure and hospitality venues, with trips to cinemas, music venues and theatres – as well as hotels and B&Bs now allowed in England, Wales and most of Scotland.
The easing comes after official figures showed more than 20 million people have received both vaccine doses, covering more than 38 per cent of UK adults, while more than 69 per cent had received at least one.
But the Prime Minister has urged Britons to enjoy their newfound freedoms with “a heavy dose of caution” amid fears the spread of the Indian variant could threaten the return to normality.
Figures show cases of the Indian variant have more than doubled to 1,313 in the past week in England, and there is growing concern that the spread of the variant is being fuelled by those who have refused the vaccine.
Matt Hancock, the Health Secretary, revealed yesterday that in Bolton, a hotspot for the Indian variant, the “vast majority” of the people hospitalised had been eligible for the vaccine but not taken it up. He said early findings from laboratory trials by Oxford University gave a “high degree of confidence” that coronavirus vaccines work against the variant but refused to rule out a possible return to local lockdowns to stem outbreaks.
Surge testing is under way in areas with the highest number of cases linked to the new variant and expanded vaccination is being used to immunise as many people as possible.
The third phase of the roadmap also allows foreign travel for people who live in England, Scotland and Wales. However, trips are still dependent on the government’s new traffic light system, which rates countries as green, amber or red based on the risk of importing coronavirus into the UK.
Travel without the requirement to quarantine on return will be possible for only 12 “green” destinations. Forty-three countries are on the red list, and Britons who travel to these countries will have to quarantine in a hotel for ten days at a cost of £1,750 when they get back.
Every other country in the world is on the amber list, including most of Europe. People returning from these countries have to quarantine at home for ten days, although this can be reduced with a negative test. Yesterday, Hancock told Times Radio: “People should not travel to amber or red list countries unless it’s absolutely necessary, and certainly not for holiday purposes.”
The next phase for lifting restrictions is due on 21 June in England, when all legal limits on social contact are set to be lifted. However, the PM has warned that the ending of all restrictions could be delayed because of the risk from the Indian variant. He said: “We are keeping the spread of the variant first identified in India under close observation and taking swift action where infection rates are rising.”
What are the new rules?
England:
People can now meet indoors in groups of up to six or two households, or in groups of up to 30 outdoors
Overnight stays are allowed
Pubs, bars and restaurants can serve customers indoors
Museums, cinemas, children’s play areas, theatres, concert halls and sports stadiums can all reopen
All holiday accommodation can open, including hotels and B&Bs
Social distancing guidance is changing and contact with other households like hugs is a matter of personal choice
Scotland (except Glasgow and Moray):
People can meet indoors in groups of six from up to three households. Outdoors, up to eight people from eight households can mix
Pubs and restaurants can serve alcohol indoors until 22:30
Entertainment venues such as cinemas, theatres and bingo halls can reopen and up to 100 people are allowed at indoor events
Wales:
Pubs and restaurants can reopen indoors and customers can meet in groups of up to six from six households
All holiday accommodation can reopen
Cinemas, bowling alleys, museums, galleries and theatres can reopen
No change to indoor socialising – this is still restricted to extended households where two households can mix with each other and have physical contact
Foreign holidays are allowed in all three nations.
Northern Ireland will review lockdown rules on 20 May, with the hope that some could be lifted on 24 May.