Indoor pints and hugs with loved ones are back on the cards for England next week, Boris Johnson has confirmed.
“Today we are announcing the single biggest step on our roadmap,” the British Prime Minister shared in a televised Covid-19 briefing from Downing Street.
“It will allow us to do many of the things we’ve yearned to do for a long time.”
After five long months, indoor hospitality is set to make a comeback alongside the reopening of cinemas, hotels, museums, theatres, concert halls and sports stadiums.
However, capacity limits will still remain in place for larger events.
Johnson also announced that students will no longer be required to wear face coverings in schools from May 17, but will still need to self-test for the virus twice a week.
With hugging in England also set to return, the Prime Minister urged the public to remain cautious.
“Whoever I hug, I assure you, will be done with caution and restraint.
I’m not going to act it out now,” he added.
His announcement comes as the latest data showed deaths linked to Covid-19 and infection rates had plummeted to their lowest level since last July.
Meanwhile, two-thirds of the adult population has now received a Covid-19 vaccine, with nearly 17 million people have received their second dose.
Boris Johnson said he was “confident” all Covid-19 restrictions will end by June 21, in the final step of his roadmap out of lockdown.
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