Covid-19: Restaurants & Pubs, Hairdressers, Gyms, and Non Essential Shops Reopen as Lockdown Eases

Daniel Hall 12/04/2021 8

Restaurants, gyms, pubs, beauty salons and non-essential shops, reopened today in England and Wales, as Covid-19 are eased across the U.K.

Employees continue to work from home while more businesses are reopening.

Starting from today, April 12th, pubs and restaurants can serve customers outdoor.

The next stage in the government’s roadmap out of lockdown, which would include indoor dining, is scheduled to begin on May 17.

Stage Two of Lifting Lockdown Restrictions: Restaurants, Pubs, Gyms and Non Essential Shops Reopen

The gradual lifting of the lockdown restrictions will be another test as to whether retail will return to normality after the pandemic.

Two households or six people can meet - even in private gardens.

Mixing indoors with persons not in your household or bubble is still not allowed.

Britons were waiting in anticipation for their favourite stores to reopen this morning.

Walk-in barbers were in demand, as were Primark and Footlocker, with queues forming down the high streets in Oxford Street.

Shoppers were also ready for Debenhams to open its doors for its final closing-down sale before it shuts stores for good. Its online business has been sold to Boohoo.

England's gyms, zoos and hairdressers also reopened, while restaurants and pubs can welcome customers outside.

Some pubs and restaurants opened just after midnight, while long queues formed outside shops around the UK.

Pupils are returning to school full time in Wales and Scotland, while Northern Ireland's "stay-at-home" order is ending.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson urges people to behave responsibly and continue to take steps to suppress Covid-19.

More than 32 million people in the United Kingdom have now had their first dose of a coronavirus vaccine.

What are the New Covid Rules?

The rule changes in England from Monday include:

All shops can reopen
Gyms, spas, zoos, theme parks, libraries and community centres can all open
Hairdressers, beauty salons and other close-contact services can open
Driving lessons can resume, with tests restarting on 22 April
Restaurants and pubs are allowed to serve food and alcohol to customers sitting outdoors
Up to 15 people can attend weddings and 30 can attend funerals
Members of the same household can take a holiday in England in self-contained accommodation
Non-essential journeys between England and Wales are allowed
Children can attend any indoor children's activity
Care home visitors will increase to two per resident

What are the Conditions for Easing Restrictions?

Here are the four conditions for easing lockdown restrictions:

The coronavirus vaccine programme continues to go to plan
New coronavirus variants do not fundamentally change the risk of lifting restrictions
Infection rates do not risk a surge in hospital admissions
Vaccines are sufficiently reducing the number of people dying or needing hospital treatment

Businesses must ensure that their front-line staff are given proper protection by enforcing rules on masks, social distancing, queues and one-way systems.

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Daniel Hall

Business Expert

Daniel Hall is an experienced digital marketer, author and world traveller. He spends a lot of his free time flipping through books and learning about a plethora of topics.

Covid-19: Restaurants & Pubs, Hairdressers, Gyms, and Non Essential Shops Reopen as Lockdown Eases