Haircuts, Pubs And Holidays: What Will Open On July 4 In England?

Pubs, cinemas, hair salons and holiday accommodation will open and rules on households meeting eased under Boris Johnson's plans.
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Pubs, cinemas, restaurants and holiday accommodation in England will all be able to open from July 4 if they are “Covid-secure” under plans announced by Boris Johnson.

The prime minister is also relaxing coronavirus social distancing rules to allow a “one metre-plus” distance, with mitigations like face coverings or hand-washing when two metres is not possible, for example in indoor venues like cafes.

Johnson has also announced plans to allow one household to meet another indoors while following social distancing guidance, with no limits on size and overnight stays allowed.

This will not be exclusive, so for example a household can meet one set of grandparents one day, and another set of grandparents on another occasion.

Current rules on being allowed to meet up to six different individuals in your back garden or park will be changed to allow two households of any size to meet outdoors.

Only two households will be able to meet indoors at venues like restaurants and pubs.

Indoor hospitality will also be limited to table service, while customers will have to provide contact details to enable the tracing and isolating of people if there is an outbreak linked to the venue.

Gyms and leisure facilities will stay closed for now although culture secretary Oliver Dowden said the government had an “aspiration” to open them by mid-July.

A swathe of businesses will open under the biggest relaxation of lockdown since it was imposed three months ago, with government guidance replacing the draconian legislation that dictated the terms of the lockdown.

But there will be a review of all new rules on July 21 and if virus starts spreading exponentially the government will slam on the brakes.

Here is the full list of what can and can’t open.

Open from July 4: 

Hotels, hostels, bed and breakfast accommodation, holiday apartments or homes, cottages or bungalows, campsites, caravan parks or boarding houses

Places of worship

Libraries

Community centres

Restaurants, cafes and work canteens

Bars

Pubs

Cinemas

Bingo halls

Theatres and concert halls (guidance dictates no live performances)

Museums and galleries

Hair salons and barbers

Outdoor playgrounds

Outdoor gyms

Funfairs, theme parks and adventure parks and activities

Amusement arcades

Outdoor skating rinks

Other indoor leisure centres or facilities, including indoor games, recreation and entertainment venues

Social clubs

Model villages

Indoor attractions at aquariums, zoos, safari parks, farms, wildlife centres and any place where animals are exhibited to the public as an attraction

The following will remain closed by law:

Nightclubs

Casinos

Bowling alleys and indoor skating rinks

Indoor play areas including soft-play

Spas

Nail bars and beauty salons

Massage, tattoo and piercing parlours

Indoor fitness and dance studios, and indoor gyms and sports venues/facilities

Swimming pools and water parks

Exhibition or conference centres - where they are to be used for exhibitions or conferences, other than for those who work for that venue