Shops, restaurants, bars and a number of other non-essential companies will reopen on Monday in England as the country continues its coronavirus vaccination effort.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the eased restrictions in a statement last week. Hairdressers, beauty and nail salons, gyms and spas are also among the non-essential outlets that will reopen.
Public buildings, such as libraries and community centers, and outdoor environments and attractions, including zoos, theme parks, open-access movie theaters, and open-access performance events, may also reopen on Monday.
Restaurants and bars can also be reopened just for outdoor service, without customers purchasing a major meal along with alcohol. In addition, curfews in locations will be removed.
However, guests will still have to sit while eating and drinking.
Outdoor meetings will still be limited to six or two homes, and indoor meetings are still prohibited with “anyone you don’t live with or who doesn’t have a support bubble.”
According to Johnson, the country decided to move on to the next phase of reopening after the data confirmed the government’s “four tests” needed to ease the restrictions.
The assessment, according to the statement, was based on the country’s vaccine deployment program, evidence showing the vaccine’s effectiveness in reducing hospitalizations and deaths, infection rates that do not lead to an increase in hospitalizations and if a “risk assessment” is not fundamentally modified by new variants of concern. “
The statement also notes that before easing the restrictions, the government “studied the latest data to assess the impact of the first step, which began when schools opened on March 8.”
Johnson, The Associated Press, previously promised to visit a pub for a pint to mark the reopening, but has since postponed the celebration after the death of Prince Philip, the husband of Queen Elizabeth II.
According to the UK coronavirus website, more than 27 million first doses of vaccine have been administered in England.
According to the New York Times, more than 4.3 million cases of coronavirus have been reported in the UK and more than 127,000 deaths have been confirmed.