Johnson signals end of 'national hibernation' as pubs, restaurants, cinemas to reopen on July 4

BORIS JOHNSON has said pubs, restaurants, hotels and cinemas could reopen in England early next month when the social distancing rule is relaxed, easing the coronavirus lockdown.

The prime minister had been under pressure from businesses, especially in the hospitality sector, and from members of his Conservative Party to relax the lockdown, but until now he resisted for fear of prompting a second wave.

On Tuesday (23), he said that with infections rates falling and because of a belief that there was little threat now of a second wave of Covid-19 cases, he could reopen swathes of the economy and try to get life in England back to something like normal.

The government also announced that it would no longer hold a daily news conference on its steps to tackle the coronavirus crisis, instead holding them only to coincide with significant announcements.

By relaxing the rule on social distancing from two metres to one metre, with mitigation such as wearing of masks and the use of protective screens, Johnson said many businesses could reopen from July 4 -- dubbed by some as "Super Saturday".

"Today we can say that our long, national hibernation is beginning to come to an end," he told Parliament. "All hospitality indoors will be limited to table service and our guidance will encourage minimal staff and customer contact.

"The government will publish Covid-secure guidelines for each sector that is reopening as businesses get back on their feet and people get back to work."

People will be advised to keep one metre-plus in places where two-metres were not possible, he said, reiterating that guidance such as avoiding face-to-face seating, using protective screens and providing hand sanitiser will be issued to all public venues.

The changes will allow two households to meet in any setting and all schools will reopen in September, he said.

Hairdressers would be allowed to reopen along with places of worship, leisure facilities and attractions such as theme parks, museums and art galleries. However, nightclubs, indoor gyms and swimming pools will stay closed.

Britain has one of the highest death tolls in the world from Covid-19, but the number of cases has been steadily falling. Health officials on Monday reported just 15 new deaths, the lowest rise since mid-March.

The daily tally of deaths peaked in April, when the toll exceeded 1,000 on nine days.

Johnson had faced strong lobbying from the hospitality sector and political pressure in his own party to drop the two-metre rule, with many businesses saying they would be forced to close unless it was eased to one metre -- the minimum recommended by the World Health Organization.

The prime minister said not all restrictions could be lifted at once and people would need to remain vigilant. He cautioned that lockdown measures might need to be reintroduced if there was a second spike in virus cases.

"As we have seen in other countries there will be flare-ups, for which local measures will be needed," Johnson said. "And we will not hesitate to apply the brakes and reintroduce restrictions, even at national level, if required."

While urging people to go out and enjoy their new-found freedom, he said people still needed to act responsibly.

"Our principle is to trust the British public to use their common sense, remembering the more we open up the more vigilant we will need to be," said Johnson.

Asked by a lawmaker whether people should do their "patriotic best for Britain" by going to drink in English pubs when they reopen, the prime minister said: "Yes... I do encourage people to take advantage of the freedoms that they are rightly reacquiring, but I must stress that people should act in a responsible way."