Hospitality businesses handed a glimmer of hope by PM’s Speech #News

Victoria Hayes
10th May 2020

Hospitality businesses could open from July as the plans for relaxation for coronavirus lockdown measures are announced.

Almost two months after implementing lockdown measures, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said the hospitality industry could begin to reopen from July with social distancing measures in place.

The lessening of restrictions on the industry will come a third stage of the government’s plan to lift the lockdown, implemented to control the spread of coronavirus, and will be dependent on the government’s five conditions being met.

These five conditions are protecting the NHS, a sustained and consistent fall in deaths, the rate of infection decreasing to “manageable levels”, ensuring the supply of tests and PPE meets demand, and avoiding a second peak.

The first steps in relaxing the lockdown will be introduced from tomorrow, with people who cannot work from home actively encouraged to return to their workplaces, avoiding public transport if possible.

However, the prime minister stressed that social distancing will remain in place and would be implemented in hospitality businesses if the fall in cases allows them to begin reopening from July.

No further details on what the relaxation of restrictions on hospitality businesses could look like were given.

Johnson tonight said the measures already taken have prevented a “reasonable worst-case scenario of half a million fatalities”, adding that it would be “madness to throw away that achievement by allowing a second spike”.

He added that this is not the time to end the lockdown, but that “first careful steps” are to be taken.

From Wednesday people will also be able to undertake “unlimited exercise” with members of their own households, but fines for breaking social distancing rules while doing this will be increased.

Stage 2 of the relaxation, which could be introduced from 1 June at the earliest, would see a phased reopening of shops and primary schools.

Stage 3 will be enacted in July “at the earliest”, with further details expected to be released tomorrow in a written report.

The prime minister has said some further restrictions will be introduced, including a quarantine period for those entering the UK by air.

The threat posed by the virus will be measured by a new five-stage system called the Covid Alert level, which will dictate how severe distancing measures are.

Lockdown measures had been introduced by the prime minister on 23 March, three days after restaurants, pubs and cafés had been told to close.

Both Wales and Scotland have already announced that their respective lockdowns would be extended, with very minor relaxations.