What rules will change in England from 4 July? Lockdown guidelines explained as pubs, restaurants and hotels to reopen

Further relaxations to restrictions are to come into force in England from 4 July, allowing pubs, restaurants and hotels to reopen
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People in England can look forward to further relaxations to lockdown restrictions this weekend, with a number of changes to rules due to come into effect from 4 July.

The changes will follow previous easing of measures, that have permitted the reopening of shops, a phased return for schools, and relaxations to meeting family and friends.

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Here are all the changes you need to know as England moves into the next phase of its lockdown exit plan.

Several changes to restrictions will come into effect in England from 4 JulySeveral changes to restrictions will come into effect in England from 4 July
Several changes to restrictions will come into effect in England from 4 July

What rules will be lifted?

The government’s planning assumption is that the next lockdown phase will begin from 4 July.

As of this date, the following changes to restrictions will be made:

Visiting family and friends

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Announcing the update in the House of Commons, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: "From now on, we will ask people to follow guidance on social contact instead of legislation.

"In that spirit, we advise that from July 4, two households of any size should be able to meet in any setting inside or out.

"That does not mean they must always be the same two households, it will be possible for instance to meet one set of grandparents one weekend, the others the following weekend.

"But we are not recommending meetings of multiple households indoors because of the risk of creating greater chains of transmission."

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Changes to restrictions also mean that people will be able to stay overnight in self-contained accommodation, including hotels, bed and breakfasts, and campsites, providing shared facilities are kept clean.

Social distancing

The two metre social distancing rule will be relaxed and replaced instead with a “one metre plus” rule.

Under the new guidance, people are advised to keep one metre apart, with mitigating measures in place.

This means people are encouraged to wear face coverings, sit side to side rather than face to face, and increase their use of hand sanitiser.

Reopening of businesses

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Many businesses that have been forced to remain closed will be permitted to reopen from 4 July, providing they are “Covid-secure”.

This includes hotels, hostels, bed and breakfast accommodation, holiday apartments or homes, cottages or bungalows, campsites, caravan parks and boarding houses.

Restaurants, cafes, workplace canteens, bars and pubs will be allowed to reopen with a limited table service.

Cinemas, places of worship, libraries, community centres and bingo halls can also reopen, along with theatres and concert halls, although not for live performances.

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Museums and galleries, hairdressers and barbers can reopen, as can outdoor playgrounds, outdoor gyms, funfairs, theme parks and adventure parks.

Amusement arcades, outdoor skating rinks, indoor leisure centres or facilities, including indoor games and recreation, can open up, as well as social clubs, model villages and indoor attractions at aquariums, zoos, safari parks, farms and wildlife centres.

What will stay closed?

While many businesses will be allowed to reopen from July, some venues have been forced to stay shut.

These include nightclubs, casinos, bowling alleys, indoor skating rinks, and indoor play areas, including soft play.

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Spas, nail bars and beauty salons must also remain closed for now, as must massage, tattoo and piercing parlours.

Indoor fitness and dance studios, indoor gyms and sport venues, will stay closed, as well as swimming pools, water parks, exhibition and conference centres.

Schools

Primary and secondary education will recommence in September with full attendance.

Children who can already attend school have been advised to continue to do so, because it is safe.

When is the next lockdown review?

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The UK government previously reviewed lockdown restrictions every 21 days, but this was later extended to every 28 days.

As the latest review announcement was held on 23 June, it follows that the next review will be held four weeks later, on 21 July.

Announcing the extension to the review period, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: “To ensure we are making future decisions about the lockdown at the right time the maximum review period will change from 21 days to 28.

“This will allow decisions to align more closely with the period of time necessary to assess the impact of previous changes on key data feeds, including the R rate.”