English pubs will be able to serve warm beer again from July 4, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced Tuesday, as part of the most significant relaxation of coronavirus restrictions since they were imposed three months ago.But publicans must adhere to a strict set of social distancing rules, including the edict that customers must be served only at their tables, and that their contact details must be taken in advance.
The U.K. is making it easier for pubs and restaurants to serve customers outside, its latest bid to encourage spending as Boris Johnson relaxes the nation’s lockdown.
From Thursday, licensing processes will be simplified, meaning pubs and restaurants can use car parks and terraces as dining and drinking areas, according to a statement from Johnson’s office. They will also be able to sell alcohol for consumption off their premises.
Speaking in the House of Commons on Tuesday, Johnson said the country had been successful in slowing down the virus to a level where life could begin returning to the streets. Restaurants, hair salons, museums and cinemas would all be allowed to reopen.”Today we can say that our long national hibernation is beginning to come to an end and life is beginning to return to our streets and our shops,” he said.Tens of thousands of Britons have died from coronavirus. But Boris Johnson is stoking a culture war.
All hospitality businesses would be allowed to reopen, Johnson said, subject to guidance that would encourage limited contact between staff and customers. Hair salons could open with appropriate precautions, such as the use of visors, Johnson announced. In order to facilitate the reopening, England’s 2-meter social distancing limit would be cut to 1 meter if other mitigation measures — such as face masks, visors or protective screens — were in place.Also from July 4, two households of any size would now be able to meet “in any setting inside or out,” while maintaining social distancing, Johnson said.
Current rules only allow groups of up to six people to meet outside.Johnson acknowledged that the other nations in the UK — Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland — would take their own approach, but said that all were seeing a similar trend in their coronavirus cases. He also emphasized that new the measures would be not be enforced by legislation, but would be introduced as guidance. He called for “the British public to use their common sense in the full knowledge of the risk.”Other amenities can reopen, as long as they are “Covid secure,” including hotels and other forms of accommodation, places of worship, libraries, community centers, outdoor playgrounds and outdoor gyms, and indoor leisure centers and social clubs.
The latest measures come as Britain prepares for a widespread re-opening of businesses July 4, with swathes of the hospitality and tourism industries allowed to operate again after three months of closure. Aiming to save the economy, Johnson’s green light for firms is also a major gamble as it risks a second spike of coronavirus infections.
Using outdoor spaces will allow more clients to be served while still observing social distancing guidelines, Johnson’s office said. This week, Johnson reduced the recommendation for social distancing from 2 meters to 1 meter, provided other mitigating actions are also taken, like facing away from others or wearing a face covering.
“I can’t wait to go to a pub or a restaurant,” Johnson said at the 10 Downing Street news conference Tuesday. “People need to enjoy themselves.”
Outdoor street trading and markets will also be made easier under the government’s new laws, and proposed planning freedoms would mean that summer fairs and pop-up car boot sales would not require a planning application, Johnson’s office said.
In a sign of other steps that the U.K. may take to support the economy, Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said on Wednesday that conversations are ongoing about extending the government’s job retention program, which is due to end in October. James Slack, Johnson’s spokesman, later told reporters he wasn’t aware of any such plans.
The UK has the highest number of confirmed coronavirus deaths in Europe, with a total of more than 42,000. Johnson’s government has come under fire for a lag in its response to the virus, confusing messaging and for taking a relatively relaxed approach to the country’s outbreak.