People in England will be able to eat and drink in indoor venues from next week, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Monday, as the country reported no coronavirus deaths for the first time in over a year.
Johnson confirmed the government will continue with the latest step in its roadmap out of lockdown, after reviewing various tests including infection rates and the success of the vaccination drive.
“This unlocking amounts to a very considerable step on the road back to normality,” Johnson said at a press conference after signing off the changes with senior ministers earlier Monday.
“I am confident that we will be able to go further,” he added, noting hospitalisations were at their lowest level since July.
The announcement comes as the UK’s chief medical officers also agreed to lower the country’s five-tier coronavirus alert level and Britain registered just four deaths — with England seeing none for the first time since March 2020.
The alert level will drop from four, which signals transmission is high or rising exponentially, to three, which states the epidemic is simply in general circulation.
The latest relaxation will see pubs, bars and restaurants restart indoor services, though only to groups of up to six people, via table service and with social distancing in place.
Indoor entertainment such as cinemas, museums and children’s play areas can reopen, alongside concert halls, conference centres and sports venues — which will operate within capacity limits.
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