Pubs, restaurants, hairdressers and holiday homes allowed to reopen from July 4 as social distancing relaxed by PM to ‘one metre-plus’

He revealed the news in his address to the House of Commons today (Tuesday) in which he also said it would mean the government would allow pubs, restaurants, cinemas and museums to reopen from July 4, following social distancing and hygiene policies.

He said hairdressers can also reopen but the fewer social contacts people have, the safer they will be.

Outdoor gyms and playgrounds and libraries are also able to open from July 4 as will hotels, bed and breakfasts, campsites and caravan parks if they are ‘covid-secure’.

He said from July 4, the two-metre rule will be reduced to “one metre-plus”, meaning extra precautions such as the wearing of masks could allow people to be closer together.

He told the Commons: “Given the significant fall in the prevalence of the virus we can change the two-metre social distancing rule from July 4.”

He added: “Where it is possible to keep two metres apart, people should.

“But where it is not, we will advise people to keep a social distance of one metre-plus, meaning they should remain one metre apart while taking mitigations to reduce the risk of transmission.”

However, he said that indoor gyms, swimming pools and spas would have to remain closed for the time being.

People from two households of any size will be able to meet indoors and this means people may visit one set of grandparents on one day and another set on another, he said.

He said: “From now on, we will ask people to follow guidance on social contact instead of legislation.

“But we are not recommending meetings of multiple households indoors because of the risk of creating greater chains of transmission.”

Places of worship will reopen for prayer and services and weddings of up to 30 guests, but indoor gyms, swimming pools and spas will remain closed for the time being.

All primary and secondary school children are set to return in September.

Mr Johnson still added a note of caution speaking to the Commons in an effort to avert a second wave of infections.

He said: “The British people have shown massive common sense and I hope they will continue to so so.

“I encourage people to take advantage of the freedoms that they are requiring, but I must stress that people act in a responsible way.

“I know that people want these thinsg to reopen gradually and they understand the risks we face. I want to see people in shops and enjoying hospitality and enjoying friends and family, but they should observe social distancing.”

With concerns about the possibility of job losses when furlough ends or the threat of employers trying to fire and rehire staff on poorer contract terms, he said no-one should be penalised for doing the right thing by this virus.

The Prime Minister said: “Since I set out our plan on May 11, we have been clear that our cautious relaxation of the guidance is entirely conditional on our continued defeat of the virus.

“In the first half of May, nearly 69,000 people tested positive for Covid-19 across the UK. By the first half of June that total had fallen by nearly 70 per cent to just under 22,000.”

He said: “The number of new infections is now declining by between two per cent and four per cent every day.

“Four weeks ago an average of one in 400 people in the community in England had Covid-19, in the first half of June this figure was one in 1,700.

“We created a human shield around the NHS and in turn our doctors and nurses have protected us, and together we have saved our hospitals from being overwhelmed.”

Now he said: “We will ask businesses to help NHS Test and Trace respond to any local outbreaks by collecting contact details from customers as happens in other countries and we will work with the sector to make this manageable.”

He told the Commons: “I’m acutely conscious that people will ask legitimate questions about why certain activities are allowed and others are not.

“And I must ask the House to understand that the virus has no interest in these debates, its only interest, its only ambition is to exploit any opportunities to recapture ground that we might carelessly vacate and to reinfect our communities.

“And so there is only one certainty – the fewer social contacts you have, the safer you will be.”

Mr Johnson said guidance for business will be published later on Tuesday.

He added: “I know this rule effectively makes life impossible for large parts of our economy even without other restrictions, for example it prevents all but a fraction of our hospitality industry from operating.”

He added: “We’re today publishing guidance on how business can reduce the risk by taking certain steps to protect workers and customers.

“And these include, for instance, avoiding face-to-face seating by changing office layouts, reducing the number of people in enclosed spaces, improving ventilation, using protective screens and face coverings, closing non-essential social spaces, providing hand santiser, changing shift patterns so that staff work in set teams.”

He said: “Today we can say that our long national hibernation is beginning to come to an end and life is returning to our streets and to our shops, the bustle is starting to come back and a new but cautious optimism is palpable.

“But I must say to the House it will be all too easy for that frost to return, and that is why we will continue to trust in the common sense and the community spirit of the British people to follow this guidance, to carry us through and to see us to victory over this virus.”