News

England Set To Reopen Cinemas, Museums And Galleries In July

Cinemas, museums, and galleries in England will reopen on July 4 in the next phase of easing the coronavirus lockdown, the government said Monday, as infection and death rates continued to slow.

Venues will be asked to introduce social distancing measures including one-way systems, spaced queuing, increased ventilation, and pre-booked tickets, a Downing Street source said.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson will unveil the changes in a statement to parliament on Tuesday, and say whether hairdressers, places of worship, pubs, and restaurants will also be allowed to open.

He will also announce the outcome of a review into the rule that people stay two metres apart, which the hospitality industry and many lawmakers want cut to one metre, saying it is impractical and unnecessary.

Britain’s coronavirus outbreak has been the deadliest in Europe, but stay-at-home orders imposed in late March are slowly being eased as infection rates fall.

The death toll among people who tested positive for COVID-19 rose by 15 to 42,647 on Sunday, the lowest daily increase since March 15, although there is always a lag in reported deaths over the weekend.

Separate official data including suspected coronavirus deaths puts the toll at 51,804 to June 5.

A total of 958 people tested positive in the 24 hours to Monday morning, and Health Secretary Matt Hancock said only one in 1,700 people now had the virus, down from one in 400 a month ago.

“All of those figures are coming down and pointing in the right direction,” he told a daily media briefing on Monday.

“It shows that while there’s still much to do, we are clearly making progress.”

Some of the youngest children have already gone back to school and non-essential shops have reopened.

On Monday, Hancock announced plans to ease restrictions on 2.2 million people in England classed as clinically extremely vulnerable.

They had been asked to avoid all social contact, but from July 6 will be allowed to meet outside in groups as big as six from July 6.

From August 1 the entire “shielding” programme will be paused, although officials warned it could be restarted if the outbreak worsens in the winter.

 

 

 

AFP

Angela Davies

Recent Posts

Star Life: Saras & Kumud Teasers November 2024

Star Life's new series, Saras & Kumud teasers November 2024, can be accessed below.  …

8 hours ago

Polaris Bank Clinches “Best Mobile App” Award At Digital Jurist Awards 2024

Polaris Bank clinched the "Best Mobile App" award at the Digital Jurist Awards 2024.  …

8 hours ago

Access Holdings’ Total Assets Grows to ₦41.1 Trillion in Q3

Access Holdings’ total assets grew to ₦41.1 trillion in Q3.   Glamtush reports that Access…

8 hours ago

Nigeria Ranks Fifth Globally In Daily Social Media Usage (FULL LIST)

Nigeria has been ranked fifth globally in daily social media usage.   Glamtush reports that…

9 hours ago

Saras & Kumud Premieres On Star Life (Synopsis, Full Story, Casts)

Saraswatichandra, retitled Saras & Kumud, is Star Life’s upcoming series, which is a shift from…

9 hours ago

Top Summary From Nigerian Newspapers For Monday, November 4th, 2024

The top summary from Nigerian newspapers for Monday, November 4th, 2024, can be accessed on…

10 hours ago